New Directions Takes A Bite Out of the Big Apple
by FinchelFan728
Summary: New Directions heads to Nationals, as relationships are tested and alliances are formed. Title may change. What's in store as they take on the best in the country? Faberry friendship, Finchel, Quam
1. Chapter 1: Roommates

_Hey everyone! Thanks for all your positive reception to The Future. I've done lots of writing and honestly feel that The Future was one of the best pieces I've ever written. Plus I had so much fun writing it I just had to write another Glee fanfic!_

_So, here's my second Glee fanfic, New Directions Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple. Laugh at the title if you want, I tried to think of something catchy. This is the story of New Directions' week at Nationals. Rachel and Finn are still struggling with their feelings for each other while Quinn tries to get to be prom queen using Finn as her King, Brittany and Santana are together, Puck and Lauren & Mike and Tina are still together. Kurt and Blaine have transferred to McKinley. Rachel, Sam, Artie and Mercedes are all single._

_Enjoy the first chapter!_

Chapter 1: Roommates

The alarm clock went off, alerting Rachel that it was time to wake up. Her bags were packed for Nationals and the plane would be leaving for New York in a few hours. Rachel hesitantly admitted to herself that she wasn't looking forward to Nationals.

She knew she should be. She should be excited that they won Regionals and were going to Nationals in New York.

Honestly, last year was better for her. Yes, they'd lost Regionals, but that night, Finn had told her that he loved her. She'd rather not make it to Nationals and be with Finn than go to Nationals and not be with Finn.

To make matters worse, she and Finn would be singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith on the Nationals stage. A romantic love song. The only thing that made Rachel worse than seeing Finn with Quinn was having to sing romantic songs with him and not have him love her. (Mr. Schue complained Rachel didn't sound in love with Finn when she sang it. She wasn't interested in professing her love to Finn anymore. Not until he was willing to start professing his love to her.)

Finn didn't seem into Quinn. Really, Quinn didn't seem into Finn, either. She seemed to just want an attractive running mate for Prom King and Queen.

Why was Rachel so determined to get Finn back? He was the only person who saw who Rachel truly was. He saw beyond her diva-like exterior and knew she was actually a very kind girl. He brought out the best in her and inspired her to be a better person. He made her feel good on a bad day.

Those, Rachel thought, were good enough reasons to try to get Finn back, but she didn't want to do all the pursuing. Maybe space was what he needed.

"Rachel, are you ready?"

Rachel turned to see her dad standing in the doorway and was snapped back into reality.

"Almost," Rachel said. She pulled back her hair in a ponytail and put on a cardigan. She had a quick breakfast and then got in the car with her dad and drove to the airport. She was silent the whole way there.

"Are you okay?" her dad asked on the way there.

"Yeah, just tired." Rachel and her dad pulled into the airport. Rachel unloaded her suitcase and said goodbye to her dad. Then she headed inside to meet up with the Glee club.

"We didn't expect you to be this late, Rachel," Mr. Schue said.

"You said get here at 7, it's 6:50," Rachel yawned.

"Well, everyone else got here pretty early. Guess no one can withstand the excitement." Mr. Schue turned to Ms. Holliday. "Now we're just waiting on Finn." He turned back to the group. "Kurt, why didn't Finn come with you and Blaine?"

"Blaine's parents only let him drive one passenger," Kurt said, kissing Blaine. Kurt had come back to New Directions a week after Regionals and a few days later, Blaine transferred to McKinley as well.

Rachel put her bag on the luggage cart and headed to join the group.

"Hi, Rachel," Quinn said with a smile Rachel knew was fake. Rachel didn't even say hi back to Quinn, she wasn't falling for that again. Right before Regionals, Quinn had pretended to be Rachel's friend, only for Rachel to discover that Quinn was using Finn to be elected Prom King and Queen. That inspired Rachel to write an original song, "Get It Right," for Regionals, which had been a real crowd-pleaser. New Directions had won Regionals, meaning they were going to Nationals in New York City. Since then, Quinn had continued to act nice with Rachel, but Rachel wasn't buying it.

She took a seat off to the side and turned on her iPod. Quinn, Brittany and Santana were laughing in one corner of the seating area. In another area, Artie, Tina, Mike and Mercedes were watching a video on Artie's iPod. A few rows down, Kurt was looking at a fashion magazine, asking Blaine if he thought he'd look good in this or that. Puck had his arm around Lauren and was talking with Sam. Then Finn walked in and sat next to Rachel.

"Hey," Finn said. "What's up?"

Rachel shrugged.

"I thought you'd be all excited about Nationals," Finn said.

"I am, I guess," Rachel said. "I'm nervous, too." She didn't want to tell Finn how she really felt, how much she missed him and how badly she wanted to be back with him. She'd pretty much avoided him since Regionals.

"You're going to do great," Finn said. "You always do."

"Whatever," Rachel said. "So, how's everything going with Quinn?"

"It's okay," Finn said. "All she thinks or talks about is the whole Prom Queen thing."

Before Rachel had a chance to respond, Mr. Schue and Ms. Holliday told the group it was time to board the plane. Rachel had been assigned her own seat, which was probably for the better. She slept on the flight to New York and before she knew it, she was awoken with an announcement over the loudspeaker: "Welcome to New York City. The plane is landing. Please file out in a straight line when given the signal. You can retrieve your luggage at Gate G."

The plane landed and the group filed out of the plane, meeting up after they got their luggage.

"Oh my God!" Kurt exclaimed as they waited for their bus to the hotel. "We're in the fashion capital of the world. I want to go shopping. RIGHT NOW!"

The other boys groaned.

"You can go shopping during some breaks, Kurt," Mr. Schue said.

"Where's the big apple?" Brittany asked, looking around.

"We're in it, hun," Santana said.

"Really?" Brittany looked around some more. "This doesn't look like an apple."

"No, Brittany." Even Santana looked annoyed. "The Big Apple is a NICKNAME for New York."

"Oh." Brittany looked disappointed.

"Okay, our shuttle bus is here to take us to the hotel," Ms. Holiday said. "Everyone get your luggage."

The group boarded the shuttle bus and rode down the streets of New York to their hotel, the Millenium Hilton. New York was an amazing city and Rachel tried to picture herself living here, as a star on Broadway, in a few years.

The bus pulled in front of the hotel and the group was greeted by a doorman. Inside, the hotel was VERY impressive. It had a marble tile floor and a huge fountain and chandelier. The furniture in the lobby was made of silk.

"Welcome to the Millenium Hilton Hotel," a hotel representative said. "Is this the New Directions?"

"That's us," Mr. Schue said. He turned to the kids. "You guys can sit down and I'll get your keys."

"No!" the representative said. "I need to talk to them about our policies for school groups. Kids, put your luggage over there and label it. The bellhops will take it to your room. Then I need to talk to you."

"Fine," Mr. Schue said, heading to the check-in table. The students labeled their luggage and put it in the designated area, then went back to talk to the staff member.

"Okay, we've had some bad experience with school groups in the past, so I'm going to tell you about our policies," the hotel representative barked. "Two rooms on each floor. One boys room and one girls room. You may not go visit friends in rooms on other floors. We have an hour set aside for you guys to use the pool every day. You have designated tables in the breakfast area. No drugs or alcohol, and you must be on your floor by 10 p.m. and in your rooms by 11 p.m. EVERY night unless you are off-site and your teacher tells us otherwise. We aren't putting up with crap from school groups anymore. We've gotten too many complaints and if you violate any of our policies, you'll need to find a new hotel. Everyone got it?"

The group rolled their eyes and nodded.

"Good. I trust you will follow our policies. I'll give you your room assignments and keys now. Your teacher gave us the roommate assignments based on your requests, so no, we did not decide who you're rooming with.

"On the 10th floor: Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez, you're in Room 1021. Mike Chang and Artie Abrams, you're in Room 1022.

"On the 11th floor: Lauren Zizes, Mercedes Jones and Tina Cohen-Chang, you're in Room 1111. Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, you're in Room 1112."

_Oh no_, Rachel thought. _This means I'm sharing a room with Quinn. Well, maybe I got my own room._

"On the 12th floor: Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray, you're in Room 1233. Noah Puckerman, Sam Evans and Finn Hudson, you're in Room 1234."

Rachel tried not to look upset as the hotel representative announced her sentence. She barely heard as they were told Mr. Schue and Ms. Holliday's room was on the 13th floor. The luggage had been brought up to their rooms, but their school group policies were so strict, they all even had to take different elevators to their rooms! Tenth floor residents took Elevator 1, eleventh floor residents took Elevator 2 and twelfth floor residents took Elevator 3.

Rachel boarded Elevator 3 with Finn, Puck, Sam and Quinn. "I'm so excited we're roomies!" Quinn said as soon as they were on the elevator.

"Really?" Rachel said. "I would have thought you WOULDN'T want to room together."

"Are you kidding?" Quinn said. "Well, first of all, we knew Brittana would HAVE room together and the fat girls would want room together, so that just leaves you and me. And second, maybe this can be an opportunity for us to bond and move on from all the drama."

"Aren't the hotel policies stupid?" Puck asked. "I mean, seriously, what do they think we're going to do if we go on another floor?"

"I don't mind, really," Finn said. "I like everyone on our floor, so I don't mind staying on it."

"We did get the three hottest guys on our floor," Quinn giggled.

"And we got the two hottest girls on our floor," Puck said. "I think the twelfth floor is the sexy floor."

The elevator reached the twelfth floor. As the door opened and the teenagers got off, Sam whispered to Rachel, "You can come into our room anytime if Quinn's a bitch."

"Thanks," Rachel whispered.

"RACHEL! Come see our room!" Rachel heard Quinn scream.

"See you guys," Rachel said to the boys as they went into their room and she unlocked her own room. She didn't know how she would get through sharing a room with Quinn for a week.

The room was one of the nicest hotel rooms Rachel had ever seen. The two beds were high enough up that you needed a small staircase to climb on to them. They had navy blue blankets with a silver pattern and a bunch of pillows. Their bags had been delivered to the room. The table looked like it was made of marble and the chairs were lined with satin. Even the TV looked nice. On the table was a basket filled with cheese, crackers and fruit. Next to the basket of food was a cake with "WELCOME TO NEW YORK" on it.

"This is adorable!" Quinn gushed. "We're getting the star treatment!"

"We probably have to pay to eat this stuff," Rachel said.

"I don't care, I'm eating it," Quinn said. "Which bed do you want, Rach?"

"It doesn't matter," Rachel said, cringing. Rach was Finn's nickname for her.

"Okay, then I'll take the one by the window," Quinn said, still pacing around. "And look at the bathroom! We have a JACUZZI! Is this the best hotel room you've ever stayed in or what?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Hey Quinn, why are you being all nice to me all of a sudden?"

"Look, Rachel," Quinn said. "It was wrong of me to be mean to you in the past. You're really pretty and really talented and when you look past your overbearing desire for fame, you're actually really nice and really cool. I asked to be your roommate specifically so we could patch things up."

"Are you sure this isn't a repeat of the incident before Regionals?" Rachel asked.

Before Quinn had a chance to answer, the phone rang. "That's odd," Quinn said. "Who would be calling?"

"I'll get it," Rachel said. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Quinny Poo!" an unfamiliar boy's voice said. "Arrived in New York okay, baby?"

"I'm sorry?" Rachel said. "This isn't Quinn."

"Oh, you're her roommate?" the voice said. "Could you get her for me?"

"Of course," Rachel said. "Quinn, telephone."

"Thanks," Quinn took the phone and began talking into it. "Oh, hey Danny! What's up, what's up, what's up? Oh, I miss you already too! I know, once prom's over we don't need to keep this a secret anymore..."

Rachel gasped silently. Quinn had a secret boyfriend! Or at least that was what this sounded like...


	2. Chapter 2: Secrets

_I know I say this every time I upload a new chapter, but thanks to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 1. It's great to know people appreciate my writing :)_

_Here is Chapter 2. Is Rachel's theory about Quinn having a secret boyfriend correct? Does Finn still love Rachel? Read on!_

Chapter 2: Secrets

Across the hall, Finn, Sam and Puck had unpacked their bags and were watching a baseball game on TV in their room. Rather, Sam and Puck were watching the game and Finn was thinking.

They'd been in their room for less than an hour and Finn couldn't get Rachel off his mind. He knew the feelings for Quinn weren't there. So why was he continuing to put up with her? He knew he still loved Rachel, but she didn't seem to even like spending time with him anymore. Take this morning at the airport for instance. He'd tried to chat with her and she'd zoned out.

She had every right to be angry with him, but he wanted her back. What she did with Puck was wrong, but he was to blame for it. Then in an act of stupidity he tried to get Quinn back, succeeded and now she spent every waking moment talking about prom queen. The week before Regionals, Quinn bragged about how she made Rachel cry.

And now Rachel was sharing a room with Quinn? Who came up with that room assignment? Did no one else know what was going on? Quinn would probably torment Rachel with her prom queen talk every waking minute.

"Hey Finn, something on your mind?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, can I talk to you guys?" Finn said.

"Dude, we're best friends. Of course we can talk," Puck said.

"Okay." Finn took a deep breath. "This conversation stays in this room and between the three of us. I'm really worried about Rachel. I still love her but ever since Regionals, she's been avoiding me. I think she's mad at me and has given up. I want to tell her how I feel but..."

"But you're dating Quinn, at least she seems to think so," Puck commented.

"I don't love Quinn. It just isn't there. The spark I felt with Rachel isn't there with Quinn. She brings me down and all she ever talks about is prom queen, prom queen, prom queen. I think I originally wanted to get back with her to make Rachel jealous, but now I'm just thinking that it was a mistake," Finn blurted out.

"Just break up with her," Sam said.

"I want to but I can only imagine what she'll do if I do," Finn said. "And now she and Rachel are sharing a room? That bothers me. Like, a lot. Quinn's probably bugging Rachel about the whole prom king and queen thing and making Rachel feel bad."

"I told Rachel she could come in our room any time if Quinn's a bitch," Sam said.

"Thanks." Finn tried not to sound too relieved. "I would have, but it was probably better coming from you. I don't even know if Rachel likes me anymore. I tried chatting with her at the airport this morning and she didn't even seem interested."

"How about we go visit Rachel and Quinn then?" Puck suggested.

Both Sam and Puck had dated Quinn in the past. Finn would gladly hand her over to one of them and take Rachel back. The impression he had was that Rachel wasn't even interested in being friends anymore, let alone boyfriend and girlfriend.

x

Across the hall, Quinn was on the phone with Danny. The super cute boy she met at a church event during winter break. Their kiss the first time they met had turned into a secret romance. Since she was determined to win prom queen, she did everything in her power to keep things quiet. Nobody knew about Danny - well, now Rachel did. When Quinn got off the phone, she saw Rachel sitting on the other bed with a confused look on her face.

Quinn admitted something to herself - she'd wanted to room with Rachel specifically to patch things up. She didn't like how she and Rachel had such a rocky relationship. She knew Finn and Rachel were still in love. She wanted to room with Rachel to tell her that - and to tell her about Danny so she knew Finn wasn't totally off the market. In fact, when they'd filled out their roommate request forms, she wrote on her form that she wanted to room with Rachel because she felt so bad about their fight right before Regionals and she hoped this would be an opportunity to form a truce. Now, however, it was time to tell Rachel what she'd probably already figured out for herself.

"Rachel." Quinn took a deep breath. "You can not tell anyone."

"Tell anyone what?"

"Don't play dumb, Rachel. You KNOW that I'm on the phone with another guy."

"Is he - a secret boyfriend?"

"Yes. His name is Danny. I met him at a church event over Christmas break and we just clicked."

"So you've had a secret boyfriend behind Finn AND Sam's backs all this time? UNBELIEVABLE! Quinn Fabray, I want you to realize how lucky you are to have Finn as your boyfriend. He's sweet, he makes you feel good about yourself, he's there for you - and you're totally cheating on him!"

Quinn started crying. "That's the thing, Rachel. I don't love Finn. I just want to be prom queen so badly. I can't have Danny be my prom king running mate because he doesn't go to McKinley."

"I just don't get why prom queen is so important to you, Quinn. You're beautiful and whether not you win, you'll still be beautiful. I wish I was beautiful like you are."

"It feels like I've lost my reputation ever since I quit the cheerios."

"On the contrary Quinn, I like you MORE now that you've quit the cheerios."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So - you won't tell?"

"I don't know. Even if Finn and I aren't together anymore, I still love him and I don't want him to get hurt."

"He won't. My plan is I'm going to dump him after our prom king and queen dance and then pass him on to you. Then I'll dance with Danny."

"Finn doesn't love me anymore."

"Are you kidding me? Yeah, he does. Did you see those looks he was giving you at Regionals? Especially during 'Get It Right.' He looked like he was going to cry! Plus when I'm not talking about prom queen, he's talking about you."

"Okay, fine. Since I don't want to hurt him, I'll keep it quiet if YOU keep what I'm about to tell you quiet. You tell anyone what I'm about to tell you and I'll tell Finn about Danny."

"Okay, deal. What's going on?"

"I still love Finn. I've been avoiding him in hopes that he'll realize that he still loves me because I think that if I try too hard, he might not want to be back together. I think this policy is better."

"I think that's a good policy, too."

The girls heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Rachel said.

"Hey ladies, may we visit?" Quinn heard Puck say.

"You can let them in, Rachel," Quinn said. She was still embarrassed to face them after confessing the truth to Rachel. At the same time, though, it felt good to get it off her chest.

Rachel led Finn, Puck and Sam into the room.

"How are you two liking being roommates so far?" Finn asked.

"She's actually a good roommate." Rachel smiled at Quinn.

"Yeah, we've had some girl talk," Quinn said.

"I hope you two haven't been fighting," Puck said.

"Not at all," Quinn said. "What about you three? How are you guys liking being roommates?"

"It's fun," Finn said. "You girls ready for the big competition?"

"I guess," Rachel said. "I'm sure we have tough competition."

"We have an amazingly talented singer, performer and songwriter in our midst," Quinn said. "You. Rachel."

"You guys are all good, too," Rachel said.

"Nobody's good like you," Finn said.

"You flatter me, Finny." Rachel smiled.

FINNY? Rachel had stopped calling Finn Finny months ago.

"We have rehearsal in ten minutes." Rachel looked at the clock. "Maybe we should head down."

They boarded Elevator 3 - the only elevator they could use - and went downstairs to meet the group.

Quinn's phone went off, a text from Danny. _Did anyone find out?_

_Only my roommate, but she's been sworn to secrecy._

_Who is your roommate?_

_Rachel._

_Rachel? The one who likes Finn?_

_Yeah, that one._

_Don't you think she'll tell him?_

_She told me a secret of her own, so I don't think so._

"Who are you texting, Quinn?" Sam asked.

"No one you know," Quinn said, hoping Finn wouldn't get suspicious.

Rachel raised her eyebrows at Quinn, as if to say, "Was it him?"

Quinn nodded at Rachel.

The elevator opened and they went to the meeting room where they were practicing.

x

"Okay, everyone," Mr. Schue said. "Now, I think our set list is good. Let's go over it. Finn and Rachel will open with 'I Don't Want To Miss a Thing,' then we'll all do 'Only In America' and close with 'Seasons of Love.'"

"We know, Mr. Schue," Kurt moaned. "Why can't Blaine and I do 'I Don't Want To Miss a Thing?' We'd be more into it than Finn and Rachel."

"We are not arguing about who gets to sing it anymore!" Mr. Schue said. "Finn, Rachel, show us what you've got."

Now that Rachel knew the truth about Quinn, she sang her part of the song with lots more passion and love in her voice. When she and Finn finished, their teammates applauded.

"Great job, you two!" Mr. Schue said. "Rachel, I don't know where that energy was when we first started practicing."

"Oh, I'm just so happy we're here," Rachel said.

"Well, bring that happiness to the stage on Friday and that duet will have the theatre off its feet," Mr. Schue said.

Kurt and Mercedes high-fived Rachel on the way back to her seat. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn gave her a thumbs up. Rachel smiled at Quinn.

x

At the end of rehearsal, Finn approached Rachel. "Hey, Rach, want to go out to dinner tonight?"

"Dinner?" Rachel sputtered. "As in, just the two of us?"

"Yeah." Finn smiled.

"But what about Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"I already got her permission before we left. I thought it would be a good way to break the tension between us."

"Are you sure she's okay with this? Did you see the looks she was giving us at Regionals when we were just talking? What's she going to think of us going out to dinner in New York, one of the most romantic cities in the USA?"

"She's fine with it, I swear. Though you might want to put on something nicer. The restaurant is relatively fancy."

Rachel rushed up to her room, put on one of the dresses Kurt had helped her pick out for the trip and hurried back downstairs to meet Finn, who was dressed in a collared shirt and nice pants.

"You look really pretty." Finn smiled at Rachel. "Let's go, our escort's waiting."

"Escort?"

"Yup." Finn led Rachel out of the hotel to reveal a horse drawn carriage.

"This is taking us to dinner?

Finn nodded. He took Rachel's hand and helped her up the steps to the carriage before stepping up himself. "The restaurant I picked has lots of special vegan meals," he told Rachel.

Rachel couldn't help but think that this was a date. Finn thought he was dating Quinn, but in reality she had another boyfriend. Rachel felt bad holding this in. She didn't want Finn to get hurt. He'd already been hurt, by Quinn, by her and maybe by Quinn again.

"Isn't this city beautiful?" Finn said to Rachel as the carriage drove through Times Square.

"It's amazing." Rachel looked around.

"I wanted to do this for you, Rachel. I feel terrible about the awkwardness between us. You're one of my best friends and I feel like I've hurt you and I never want to see you upset."

"This is one of those times when I just want to hug you but don't think I can."

"Well, if you're not going to hug me, I'm going to hug you!" Rachel and Finn embraced.

"Hey Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something."


	3. Chapter 3: Nice Guys and Mean Girls

_Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on chapters 1 and 2. As you know, I love reviews, alerts and favorites. Here's chapter 3 - enjoy!_

Chapter 3: Nice Guys and Mean Girls

"Hey Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something."

This made Finn nervous. He was in love with Rachel, yet he was dating Quinn. Was Rachel going to tell him that she had another boyfriend? He honestly wouldn't blame her if she did, but he wanted Rachel for himself and wanted to break up with Quinn. It just wasn't there with her.

Rachel was sitting there in silence. "What is it, Rachel? You know we're still friends. You can tell me anything."

"I just - I'm really confused with my life right now. I know we've had a complicated relationship and I've made some mistakes, but I really want to stay friends."

"That's why I'm taking you out to dinner. I really don't like this tension between us. I miss hanging out with you, just the two of us." Finn tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. He was dreading Rachel would say "I have a boyfriend."

"I miss hanging out with you, just the two of us."

The carriage arrived at the restaurant and Finn and Rachel checked in. They were led to a table for two, in a dark restaurant with a candle in the center. The napkins and tablecloth were satin and the plates and glasses were beautiful.

"This is so nice," Rachel sighed.

"I know, right?" Finn said.

"Finn, are you sure that Quinn's okay with this? Something - just doesn't feel right."

"Rachel, tonight there is no Quinn and no Puck and no Jesse and no Santana and no anyone else whose gotten in our way. Tonight it's just you and me and the amazing city we're in." Finn gulped. Had he really just said that? It was like telling Rachel how he felt. He couldn't... at least not until he broke things off with Quinn.

Luckily, the waiter arrived before Rachel had a chance to respond. "Good evening," he said. "What can I get for you two tonight?"

"I'd like the vegan pasta, please," Rachel said. "With a diet coke."

"I'll have the filet mignon with roasted potatoes and a sprite," Finn said. "Oh, and sir, it's only one check."

"One check?" Rachel gave Finn a confused look.

"I'm paying."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Finn and Rachel talked as if their past history had never taken place all throughout dinner. Finn was honestly having a good time and didn't feel insecure at all. When he was with Quinn, she looked for excuses to pick an argument and pick on others. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed so happy to be there and was someone Finn hadn't seen in months. It was as if the old Rachel was back.

Dinner arrived all too soon and they finished all too soon as well. Finn didn't want to leave, but he had another surprise in store after he paid the bill.

"It's 8:30, we aren't due back in the hotel until 10," Finn said with a smile. "How about we take a walk through Times Square?"

"Sounds good to me!" Rachel sounded thrilled.

As Finn and Rachel walked through Times Square, with its bright lights, bustling crowds and numerous people, Finn wanted to just do one thing.

Kiss Rachel.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

"I'm having so much fun tonight," Rachel said to Finn. "I couldn't ask for a better first night in New York."

"So am I," Finn said, now REALLY holding himself back from kissing Rachel. "I just - I really want to-"

"What, Finny?"

"Oh, nothing."

"If you feel like you should have given Quinn this night instead, I totally understand." Rachel had a look that was a mixture of hurt, gratitude and confusion on her face.

"It's not that at all," Finn said. "I wanted us to spend time with you. I really miss you."

"I think this night was just what we needed," Rachel said. She leaned in and kissed Finn.

Finn saw fireworks and felt like he was floating away.

"Oh my God!" Rachel recoiled. "I'm - I'm so sorry Finn! I didn't mean to do that - it just - it just happened. I forgot we weren't dating - this feels like - just, just don't tell Quinn okay?"

"Oh, don't worry." Finn felt a big smile coming on his face. "It happens."

"Quinn's going to kill me."

"What can she do, Rach? What's done is done. What do you say we get some ice cream?" They were standing by an ice cream stand right by where the ball was dropped on New Year's Eve.

"I'll treat this time," Rachel said. "It'll help me get over my guilt."

_There is NO guilt necessary_, Finn thought as he selected an ice cream flavor. _THAT is what I've been waiting for._

Finn and Rachel ate their ice cream and walked back to the hotel. As they walked back, Finn felt a strong urge to pull Rachel in and hug and kiss her, or at least cuddle with her. He had to look straight ahead and keep his hands in his pockets to keep himself from doing it.

They arrived at the hotel and waited for Elevator 3.

"Thanks, Finn," Rachel said as they got on the elevator.

"What is it?" Finn asked.

"It's just - " Rachel paused. "This is the most fun night I've had since... since we broke up."

"I haven't had this much fun since then, either," Finn said. The elevator doors opened and revealed the twelfth floor.

"Good night, Finny," Rachel said, giving Finn a hug.

"Good night, Rach." Finn gave Rachel a hug before going into his room. Puck and Sam were already there, in their pajamas, eating room service food.

"How was your night with Rachel, Finn?" Sam asked.

"It feels so wrong, but at the same time, it feels so right," Finn said. "I'm madly in love with Rachel."

x

Quinn was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine, after a night out to dinner with the girls, except Rachel, who'd been out with Finn. She heard the door unlock and Rachel came in.

"Hey!" Rachel said.

"Hey, Rachel," Quinn said. "Did you and Finn have fun tonight?"

"Yeah, the food was really good at the place we had dinner at and then we took a walk around Times Square," Rachel said. "How was your evening?"

"I went out to dinner with the other girls," Quinn said. "We had to wait forty five minutes for our food."

"Ugh, that must have sucked."

"It did. I'm glad you and Finn had fun tonight though."

"We did. I honestly think we're just friends now though."

"No, he loves you."

"I don't think so. I'm going to get changed."

"Sounds fine with me."

Rachel was back from the bathroom in a few minutes, dressed in blue pajamas with green polka dots, with her hair in two long braids.

"Make fun of my pajamas if you want," Rachel sighed. "This is the type of clothes you have when - when you have two gay dads."

"I think they're cute." Quinn smiled.

The girls heard a knock at the door. "That's odd," Rachel said. "We're supposed to be in our rooms by eleven."

"I'll get it," Quinn said to Rachel. She went to the door and saw Brittany and Santana standing there.

"Can we come in?" Brittany asked.

"Um, I think our curfew is up," Quinn said.

"I can't tell time," said Brittany.

Of course she couldn't. "Come on in, but only for a little," Quinn sighed.

Brittany and Santana waltzed in, arm in arm.

"Hey Quinn, who's your baby roommate?" Santana said.

"What baby?" Brittany looked around the room.

"Rachel!" Santana pointed at Rachel, who was now sitting on her bed, reading a magazine. "Just look at her. She's dressed like a baby and has her hair done like a baby."

"Do you really enjoy being THAT mean?" Rachel asked.

"You deserve it," Santana said. "You're one of the worst things that's happened to this school. You think you got us here, but I have news for you, we would have gotten here without you."

"Well, we are a strong team," Rachel said, a look of hurt forming on her face.

"Yeah, with or without you, Manhands." Santana now had an evil smirk on her face. "You know, nobody likes you. Despite what you think. We all agreed to let you write songs for Regionals because we knew you'd never give us a break if you didn't."

Rachel's eyes were starting to fill with tears. Quinn wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say and didn't even have the nerve.

Santana went on before Rachel or Quinn could say anything. "You know, Dwarf, we wish you'd ended up staying away the many times you had a tantrum and stormed out. You make everyone miserable. Even the guys who've dated you don't really like you. They only dated you because they were desperate. Face it. No one wants you here. You're going to die alone and nobody is going to attend your funeral. The world would be a better place without you."

Rachel burst into tears and left the room.

"I showed her!" Santana declared proudly.

"What was that all about?" Quinn couldn't stand by silently any longer.

"Just had to tell her what she's needed to hear," Santana said proudly.

"Santana, I am so tired of you acting this way," Quinn snapped. "Rachel never did anything to you. And not just Rachel. You're mean to everyone and everyone's so sick of it. You say people pretend to like Rachel, but in reality, NOBODY likes you, except Brittany."

"Nobody likes HER!" Santana cackled.

"That's not true!" Quinn protested. "Finn likes her. Puck does. Sam does. Blaine does. Kurt does. Mercedes does. Tina does. Mike does. Artie does. Lauren does." She paused. "And you know what? I do."

"So do I," Brittany said.

"So there you go, Santana," Quinn said. "Everyone likes her but you."

"Oh my God," Santana groaned. "Is rooming with Stubbles making you into her? And Brittany, are you really THAT stupid?"

"Get out of my room!" Quinn said to Brittany and Santana.

"But - " Brittany stuttered.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Quinn shouted. Brittany and Santana left the room. Quinn went across the hall, guessing Rachel was with the boys. She knocked on their door and Puck came to it.

"What do you want? We're closed," Puck snapped when he answered the door.

"Is Rachel here?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, she's here," Puck said.

"Can I - " Quinn began.

"You see her." Puck stepped aside. Rachel was sitting on one of the beds with Finn and Sam. She had her face in her hands. Sam was rubbing Rachel's back. Finn was stroking Rachel's hair, then looked up, made eye contact with Quinn and gave her a look of disgust. Then he kissed the top of Rachel's head.

"Now you don't." Puck closed the door.

"I wanted to - " Quinn called.

"Right now, she's being with people who are actually nice to her!" Sam called.

Quinn went back to her room. Why hadn't she stood up for Rachel when Santana was being mean? Rachel had never been mean to her and she'd been mean to Rachel when she had no reason to. Rachel had supported her when she was pregnant. She told the truth about the baby, which was ultimately for the best.

Quinn tried staying up for about half an hour so she could apologize to Rachel. She fell asleep before Rachel got back. Rachel may well have ended up spending the night in the boys' room. And this was definitely not what anyone needed right before the big competition.


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

_Thanks to everyone whose read Chapters 1-3. I would have liked to have gotten more reviews though. I know people are reading but I don't know what you think because I haven't gotten many comments. Please read and review, and of course, ENJOY!_

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Quinn woke up the next morning to find Rachel's bed neatly made. It looked as if Rachel hadn't been there all night.

Had Rachel gone home? Had she quit?

Quinn knew she had to apologize to Rachel. She went across the hall to the boys' room and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She took Elevator 3 downstairs to the breakfast area and saw Rachel sitting with Finn, Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes.

x

FLASHBACK:

Finn, Puck and Sam were getting ready for bed when they heard a knock on the door. Sam went to get it. Then Finn heard Sam say, "Rachel, what's wrong?"

Finn got up and ran over to the door. Rachel was crying. Sam pulled her in for a hug. "How about you come in and you can tell us about what happened?" Sam said.

Rachel nodded and went into the room. "Here," Finn said. "Sam, can she sit on our bed?"

"Of course," Sam said.

"Sit down, Rach," Finn said. He sat on his bed and Rachel sat next to him. Finn put his arm around her.

"Now that it's just us, what happened?" Puck said. "WE won't make you cry."

"It - it was Santana," Rachel sobbed. "She came into our room and started throwing insults at me for apparently no reason. She told me that everyone hates me and that the world would be a better place without me. She said I'm going to die alone. I'm just so tired of her being so mean to me! I want to go home."

"Did Quinn say anything?" Puck asked.

Rachel shook her head and continued sobbing.

"I'm going to have to have a talk with her tomorrow," Finn said. "I'm done with her."

"Don't take it that far, Finn," Rachel said.

"No, I'm just sick and tired of people treating you this way and no one doing anything to stop it," Finn said. "I knew you and Quinn being roommates was a bad idea. I had a feeling this would happen. You can't go back to that room, Rachel."

"I have to," Rachel said. "If I don't, I won't have anywhere to sleep."

"You can sleep on our couch tonight," Sam said.

"Yeah," Finn said. "And tomorrow, I'll go with you to Mr. Schue and we'll see if we can work something out with a new room arrangement."

"I hate her," Rachel sobbed. "I was so stupid for letting her fool me again. I should have learned from what happened before Regionals. She's a mean girl. She's a bitch. Before Regionals she said she wanted to write a song together, only for her to be mean to me about - well, nothing I can really talk to guys about. Now she wants to be my roommate only so Santana can come into the room and say those mean things to me." Rachel buried her face in the bed and continued crying. They heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Puck said. He went to the door. "What do you want? We're closed," he said to the person at the door.

"Is Rachel here?" Finn heard Quinn say.

"Yeah, she's here," Puck said.

"Can I - " Quinn began.

"You see her," Puck said. While the door was open and Finn could see Quinn, he looked up at her and glared at her. He then turned his attention back to Rachel and kissed the top of her head.

"Now you don't." Puck closed the door.

"I wanted to - " Quinn called.

"Right now, she's being with people who are actually nice to her!" Sam called.

"We didn't let her in, Rachel," Puck said.

"Yeah, you're safe here," Finn said.

"I really just want to go home," Rachel said.

"Shhhh. It's okay." Finn pulled Rachel in for a hug and kissed her tear-streaked cheek. "I love you, Rachel."

"I love you, too." Rachel kissed Finn.

"How about we go to bed? Maybe you'll feel better in the morning, Rachel," Puck said.

"Yeah, I am tired," Rachel said. She lay down on their couch and pulled up the blanket. "Good night, guys. Thanks for letting me come in here."

"Good night!" Finn turned off the light. Tomorrow, he was going to call it quits with Quinn. This was the last straw.

x

"Rachel, I know you're upset, but we need you at Nationals," Blaine said. "Our team needs you."

At breakfast, Rachel was telling Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes about what had happened the previous night. She was sitting next to Finn at the end of the table with Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes across from her.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "You and Finn rock it on that duet."

"I just - I don't want anyone to be mean to me anymore," Rachel said. "I don't want any drama right before Nationals. Maybe it would be best for everyone if I went home. We have 14 members, two more than the required twelve. You'd still have 13 if I went home."  
"Rachel, if you go home, they win," Mercedes said. "Not just the other teams, the people who've been mean to you win."

"Don't leave, Rach," Finn said. "We'd be missing such an important part of our team if you left."

"Yeah," Sam said. He was sitting on Finn's other side. "Santana should be the one sent home."

"Rachel, can we talk in private?" Finn turned to see Quinn standing there.

"There's nothing to talk about, Quinn," Rachel said. "I was stupid to let you trick me again. I thought this time you were being genuine. I was wrong. You're a mean girl who gets pleasure out of tormenting others and seeing others tormented. I feel sorry for you."

"Why didn't you stand up for her, Quinn?" Blaine asked.

"Don't bother, Blaine," Rachel sighed. "There's no point. I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed." She was still in her pajamas.

Rachel left the breakfast area and as soon as she was gone, Finn said to Quinn, "I'd like to talk to you."

"Okay," Quinn said.

"Let's go over there," Finn said. As soon as he and Quinn were out of earshot of everyone else, he blurted out, "I am so disappointed in you, Quinn Fabray."

"Finn, you don't get it," Quinn said. "Do you know how hard it is to stand up to Santana?"

"I gave you a second chance because I thought you'd changed," Finn said. "I'm sorry to see that what I've suspected is true. You haven't changed. I continued to put up with your obsession with being prom king and queen because I was holding on to hope that you'd moved on from that obnoxious cheerio mode. What happened last night proved me wrong."

"So are you saying you're breaking up with me?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Finn said. "I am. Rachel is still very near and dear to my heart. I'm tired of seeing people treat her that way and I'm not going to pursue a relationship with someone who allows that to happen."

"I think you still love Rachel," Quinn said.

"Well, I don't love you, that's for sure," Finn said.

"I guess I deserve this," Quinn admitted.

"I'm glad you're at least acknowledging your mistake," Finn said.

When Finn got back to breakfast, Rachel was downstairs in a blazer, a short skirt and a camisole. "These were the most 'normal' clothes I brought," she said. "Maybe during break today, Kurt, we can go shopping and you can help me pick out some more 'age appropriate' clothing?"

"Sounds fun." Kurt smiled.

"So you're staying?" Finn said as he sat back down.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I don't want to let this ruin Nationals and New York for me. I was actually just telling these guys about how much fun you and I had at dinner and Times Square last night."

Finn smiled to himself. He wasn't going to tell Rachel about how he broke up with Quinn. Maybe letting the subject change was best for now.

"We had a great time, didn't we?" Finn said to Rachel. They began telling their friends about their night in NYC.

x

At the end of breakfast, Mr. Schue made an announcement. "We're going to start practice soon. However, before we start, I would like to speak to all twelfth floor residents and to Santana and Brittany."

Mr. Schue led Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Puck, Sam and Finn to another room. "What happened last night? I heard there was an incident," he said.

"Rachel came into our room crying at about quarter after eleven," Finn said. "She said Santana came into her room and started making fun of her. It started off with being mean things about her clothes and her hair, but then Santana went on to say that everybody hates her and that the world would be a better place without her."

"Brittany came with Santana," Sam added. "But she and Quinn didn't do anything to stop her."

"Is that true?" Mr. Schue turned to Santana.

"No, no," Santana said. "I wouldn't do that. We aren't allowed to leave our rooms after eleven."

"Well, I doubt Rachel would make that up," Mr. Schue said.

"She was crying!" Puck blurted out. "She may be an actress, but she wouldn't make that up. Then Quinn came to our room - "

Mr. Schue turned to Brittany. "Brittany, what happened last night?"

"Uh - I can't remember anything," Brittany said.

"I find that hard to believe." Mr. Schue then looked at Quinn. "Quinn, do you have anything to add to this story?"

Quinn sat there in silence.

"Quinn?" Mr. Schue, Rachel, Finn, Sam and Puck laid their eyes on Quinn. Quinn gulped. She knew what she had to say and Santana wouldn't be happy with her when she said it. She had to.

"It's true," Quinn admitted. "Santana came into our room and just started being mean to Rachel out of nowhere. Rachel eventually just went to the boys' room crying and didn't come back."

"I know you probably didn't want coed rooms, Mr. Schue, but we couldn't let her go back there," Finn said. "She slept on our couch."

"You should kick Rachel off the trip for sleeping in a guys' room," Santana said.

"Santana, you know you are not even allowed to go on other residential floors," Mr. Schue said. "And you need to stop being mean to Rachel. This bullying is going too far."

"Aren't you going to punish Rachel?" Santana asked.

"Under these circumstances, I don't mind that she slept in a room with boys. I'm not letting bullying continue to be an obstacle to our Nationals," Mr. Schue said. "Santana, you are going to lose the privilege of going around the city during your free time for two days and while you are sitting in your room, I want you to think about how Rachel is feeling. How would you feel if someone was continuously attacking you for apparently no reason?"

"Whatever, Mr. Schue," Santana mumbled.

"I also know for a fact this was not the first time Rachel was ganged up on," Mr. Schue continued, "So Brittany and Quinn, you'll be spending your free time in your rooms this afternoon."

"I'll be able to go out tonight, right?" Brittany said.

Mr. Schue ignored Brittany's comment and then turned to Quinn. "Quinn, I want to thank you for telling the truth. It's not always easy. Finn, Sam, Puck, I'm glad Rachel has friends like you. Rachel, would you like us to rearrange rooms?"

"I'll be fine," Rachel said.

"Okay, let me know if you'd like to switch and we'll work something out," Mr. Schue said. "Go join your teammates at rehearsal."

"You okay?" Finn asked Rachel as they headed back to rehearsal.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rachel said. "Thanks for being such a good friend."

Quinn watched as Rachel walked off with Finn. Why hadn't she stuck up for Rachel last night? She deserved to lose her free time. She deserved to be dumped. Did she deserve Rachel's forgiveness?

Probably not, she concluded. She doubted she would get it, either.


	5. Chapter 5: Forgiveness

_Well, I hit 6000 views on FanFic yesterday. About 6100 and I'm VERY excited. Thanks SO much!_

_Here is Chapter 5. Read, review, favorite, subscribe and enjoy!_

Chapter 5: Forgiveness

Rachel looked through the rack of clothes at Forever 21. Morning rehersal had gone well and she was out shopping with Kurt, Mercedes and Tina. And Blaine, who appeared bored, but had been dragged along by Kurt. Everyone knew that in Kurt and Blaine's relationship, Kurt was the feminine one and Blaine was the masculine one. It was clear Blaine rather would have gone to the sports club with Finn, Puck, Sam, Mike, Artie and Lauren.

Morning rehearsal had gone okay. Santana had kept shooting Rachel nasty glares. Rachel hadn't gotten any looks from Quinn or Brittany, but maybe she just hadn't noticed if they did.

Of course, now Santana, Brittany and Quinn were in their rooms back at the hotel. Rachel dreaded seeing her room when she went back. Would her side of the room be trashed? Although they'd hurt her, she felt slightly bad that she'd gotten the girls in trouble, but she hadn't been the one who told Mr. Schue.

"Rachel, how about these?" Kurt held up two dresses. "You'd look ADORABLE!"

"Yeah, those are cute." Rachel smiled. "Thanks, Kurt. I really appreciate you helping me with this."

"You know this is my specialty," Kurt said.

Rachel tried on the dresses and they fit. She selected one to wear and paid before leaving with her friends.

"My parents did not send me with enough money!" Mercedes declared as they left the store. Between H&M, J Crew, American Eagle, Aeropostle and now Forever 21, Mercedes was now carrying seven bags of clothes.

"We're girls, of course we're going to go shopping here," Tina said.

"Speak for yourselves," Blaine groaned.

"You're such a good boyfriend, Blaine." Kurt hugged Blaine.

"Yes, I am," Blaine said. "But since I went shopping with you and the girls today, tomorrow you're coming along with me on whatever the guys decide to do."

"I guess that's fair," Kurt sighed.

"Good thing I got all these clothes," Rachel said. "I won't be surprised if Quinn destroyed my belongings."

"You don't have to stay in that room, Rach," Mercedes said.

"I've got to," Rachel sighed. "I basically lost her and Brittany their free time this afternoon and I lost Santana her time for the next two days. I don't want to seem like too big a drama queen."

"We're drama queens and proud of it." Kurt put one arm around Rachel and the other around Mercedes.

"We should get back to the hotel," said Tina. "We have rehearsal in half an hour."

The group headed back to the hotel and boarded the elevators to their respective floors. Rachel felt nervous before arriving in her room, worried that Quinn had trashed her side.

But when she went inside, nothing looked suspicious, and Quinn was on her bed, talking on the phone, "I'm so mad Danny! It was all her fault!"

Rachel suspected Quinn was talking about her. She wrote a note on the notepad in the hotel room and handed it to Quinn: _I'm sorry you couldn't go out during your free time. It's all my fault._

Quinn wrote something else and handed the notepad to Rachel: _No, I got what I deserved. I'm not mad at you._

Maybe Quinn wasn't as bad as Rachel dreaded. Still, she wasn't sure.

Rachel put her new clothes in her drawer and headed downstairs for rehearsal.

x

"Okay, everyone, tomorrow we'll start rehearsing at the auditorium the competition will be held at," Mr. Schue told the New Directions. They were in their meeting room where they were practicing. "So, I'd like to start off with running through our setlist. Finn, Rachel, let's see if you can do your ballad as well as you did yesterday."

"I think Rachel should lose the ballad," Santana shouted. "It's her fault I can't go around the city during our free time today and tomorrow."

"Stop it, Santana," Finn said with anger in his voice.

"Make me," Santana said. "Last night I went to visit Quinn and told Rachel how babyish her pajamas were and she went crying - "

"Shut up!" Finn shouted. "You know what, Santana? I am SO sick of you treating Rachel that way! Rachel is a lot prettier and nicer than you are. So shut up."

"Oh, like you can talk," Santana said. "You're a loser yourself."

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Schue shouted. "I can not believe you guys. This is such a big opportunity. And what's happening? You're arguing and throwing mud around. This is ridiculous."

"Why should we continue to pretend we like Rachel?" Santana said. "Now that we're above the 12 member requirement, how about we send Rachel back to Ohio?"

"Why do you feel the need to be so mean to Rachel?" Sam asked. "I was right to break up with you."

"Whatever," Santana said. "I'm happier with Brittany than I was with you, Trouty Mouth."

"Do you not have anything better to do than be mean to people?" Rachel turned and couldn't believe it- Quinn was standing up to Santana. "You've managed to insult three people five minutes into rehearsal."

"Seriously, Quinn?" Santana said. "Defending that loser AGAIN? And IN PUBLIC this time?"

"Yes, I am," Quinn said. "You can be that way if you want, but I don't want to be that way. And Rachel, I'm sorry about last night. I was scared to stand up for you, but I did after you left." She turned back to Santana. "We're all sick of this behavior. Just leave everyone alone, okay?"

"Now you're becoming a loser?" Santana said.

"Shut up, Santana!" Mr. Schue said. "You're being very childish about this whole thing. I'd like to use something you said. We're above the 12 member requirement. If you keep bullying people, you will be on a plane back to Ohio." He looked around the room. "That goes for ANY of you. We do NOT need drama. Everyone got it?"

The group nodded.

"Okay, Finn, Rachel, take it away," Mr. Schue said.

"Can we add some choreography?" Finn asked.

"Why didn't you ask me this first?" Rachel shot Finn a look.

"You'll like it. Just follow my lead."

"Okay, let's see what you came up with," Mr. Schue said.

Finn (takes Rachel's hand): _I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

Rachel (looks into Finn's eyes): _I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

Both (as Finn holds onto Rachel and they sway): _I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

Finn (stroking Rachel's limbs): _Lying close to you feeling your heart beating_

_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming_

_Wondering if it's me you're seeing_

Rachel (stroking Finn's limbs): _Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together_

_I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever, forever and ever_

Both (slow dancing): _I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

Finn (spins Rachel): _I don't wanna miss one smile, I don't wanna miss one kiss_

Rachel (puts hand on Finn's heart):_ I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this_

Finn (puts arms around Rachel): _I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine_

_And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time_

Both (doing a romantic slow-dance): _I don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

_I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

_I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_Yeah, I don't wanna miss a thing_

At the end of the song, Finn swept Rachel down for a kiss.

"Finn, while I appreciate you really getting into the music, but you've got to remember that - " Mr. Schue began.

"Well, I like it!" Ms. Holliday declared. "Very sexy."

"What's Quinn supposed to think?" Mr. Schue asked.

"I didn't even think of that," Rachel said. "I'm so sorry Quinn. Finn, we shouldn't -"

"Do it, Rachel," Quinn said. "I don't mind. Not at all."

"Well, if you're sure - " Rachel said.

"Yes, I'm sure," Quinn said.

"Okay, let's stop gooning over Stubbles and Frankenteen," Santana snapped. "Let's go over our next number."

"Santana, ENOUGH ALREADY!" Mr. Schue shouted. "One more nasty comment about one of your teammates and you're on the next flight back to Ohio."

"You can't be serious!" Santana screamed.

"Oh, I'm dead serious, we've all had it with your behavior, Santana," Ms. Holliday sneered. "Okay everyone, take your places for the first group number."

Santana glared at Rachel. But almost everyone other than Brittany was glaring at Santana.

x

After practice, everyone was going to their rooms for rest hour before dinner. Quinn's goal was to get Rachel into the room so she could apologize, but she knew more than likely Rachel would go to the boys' room. She couldn't blame her.

The elevator arrived on the twelfth floor after a ride up it in almost complete silence. The three boys headed to their room, but to Quinn's surprise, Rachel went into their room.

"I didn't think you'd be willing to come back in here," Quinn said as they went into their room.

"No, I don't think I'd be comfortable moving into a room with three guys," Rachel said as she sorted through the snack basket, looking for a snack. "Especially since two of them are my ex-boyfriends."

"I really like where you and Finn are taking your duet," Quinn said.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "I shouldn't be doing that with him. It's wrong."

"Rachel, Finn loves you!"

"No, he doesn't, Quinn. He loves YOU."

"Uh - I think you should know something."

"What?"

"Finn broke up with me."

"Oh my God, Quinn! I'm so sorry! When?" Rachel sat on the bed next to her roommate.

"This morning."

"Now I feel terrible." Rachel began twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "It's probably because I was such a drama queen last night. I'm such an idiot. I ruined this afternoon for you and Brittany, I ruined free time for today and tomorrow and possibly the trip for Santana and now I've ruined your relationship with Finn. Now you won't get to be prom king and queen, and I was going to vote for you guys. I'm such an idiot."

"Rachel, there is nothing to feel bad about."

"I know how bad breakups feel. Of course I feel bad. Especially because it's Finn. If I can't have him, I want someone to. He's such a wonderful boyfriend."

"It was for the best, Rachel. I was just using him to be prom queen. That was wrong of me. His heart belongs to you and I've known that."

"I don't know. We'll see."

"Did you see the way he was dancing with you down there?"

"Yeah, but - " Rachel changed the subject, uncomfortable with discussing Finn. "Quinn, thanks for standing up for me when Santana was being mean down there."

"I had to. I felt so bad that I didn't last night when she came into our room."

"Santana's scary. It's hard to stand up to her because you know she'll probably throw a nasty thing back at you."

The girls laughed. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. I don't blame you if you won't forgive me."

"But I DO forgive you. When it all comes down to it, and I'm sorry if you're insulted by this, we aren't that different. All we both really want is to feel accepted and to feel part of something and like those around us like us. And we sometimes aren't ourselves when we try to just to stand out and fit in at the same time."

It was as if Rachel had read Quinn's mind. "My thoughts exactly." Quinn smiled at Rachel and held out her hand. "Friends?"

Rachel smiled back. "Friends." She took Quinn's hand.

"For real now." Quinn pulled Rachel in for a hug.


	6. Chapter 6: Reunions

_Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I hope you enjoy Chapter 6 - I know it isn't my best, but I've been really busy with school lately. Overall I am happy with how this story is going. There are lots of surprises coming up. The person Finn and Rachel run into at the pool may not be going away and we'll find out what happened with Quinn._

_Enjoy, read, review, alert and favorite!_

Chapter 6: Reunions

"What the hell was that all about, Finn?" Puck shouted. "Have you lost your mind? You and Rachel looked ready to have sex down there! What's Quinn supposed to think?"

"I broke up with Quinn," Finn replied.

"When?" Sam asked.

"This morning... it just... it wasn't working out and I never stopped loving Rachel," Finn admitted.

"So, what's next?" Puck asked. "Are you going to ask Rachel out? She's just across the hall!"

"Yeah, Finn, you so should!" Sam laughed. "Let's go do it now."

"I'm not ready yet." Finn sat back and began fiddling with his fingers. "I'm just - going to wait until the right time." He wanted to ask Rachel out, but he wanted to give her time to forgive him. After all, she'd kept trying to apologize but he was never willing to listen. He'd tried to get over her but he just couldn't.

"I'm going to go to the pharmacy downstairs and get some candy and pop," Puck said. "Do you guys want to join me?"

"I could use some refreshments, too," Sam said. "You coming, Finn?"

"I think I'll stay up here," Finn said.

"Okay, well we'll see you soon," Sam said before leaving with Puck.

"Who am I kidding?" Finn asked himself when Puck and Sam had left the room. "Of course I'm trying to get back with Rachel. I planned something for us to do every evening we're here except the evening of the competition." Last night had been dinner escorted by a horse-drawn carriage, then tonight he was planning to take her to a carnival. The next night he got four tickets to a Yankees game, the night after he got a pair of tickets to Wicked on Broadway and the night before the competition he got tickets for a boat ride to the Statue of Liberty. He'd made plans for things to do with Rachel before he'd even broken up with Quinn. He had kept trying to get the nerve to break up with her before they left so he and Rachel could enjoy a romantic week in New York together. He hadn't followed through until this morning.

Did that make him a hypocrite? Maybe he was one for getting back with Quinn in the first place. He'd always loved Rachel.

Life was complicated.

x

Across the hall, the girls were having a heart to heart conversation of their own. "Why were you so quick to forgive me?" Quinn asked. "I didn't deserve it."

"Because I know how bad it feels NOT to be forgiven," Rachel admitted. "I believe in giving second chances so I'm giving you another chance. Don't screw it up!"

The girls laughed. "I won't!" Quinn said.

They heard a knock on their door and went to it to see Finn, Puck and Sam standing there. "It's our designated pool time," Finn said. "We were wondering if you two would like to join us."

"I'd love to!" Rachel said, thrilled at the idea of seeing Finn shirtless.

"Just give us a few minutes to change," Quinn said.

Rachel pulled on a black bikini with gold stars on it. "Hey Quinn?" she called.

Quinn came out of the bathroom, where she was changing. "What's up?" she asked.

"Do I look bad in a bikini?" Rachel asked.

"Not at all," Quinn said, "but I didn't expect you to wear a bikini."

"I may be a prude," Rachel laughed, "but I'm not THAT big a prude!"

The girls left their room and headed down to the pool with the boys, only to find most of their teammates there. "I didn't expect to see you in a bikini, Rachel," Mercedes said, staring at Rachel.

"Everyone stop saying that, okay?" Rachel laughed.

"You look good in a bikini, Rach," Finn said with a smile.

"Thank you, Finny," Rachel said. She dipped her foot in the pool. "It's so cold!"

"Rachel! It's not that cold!" Finn said.

"What do you mean? It's freezing!" Rachel whined.

"It's not too cold for anyone else!" Finn said before he dove in. Rachel laughed. She had to admit it, Finn looked pretty hot in a swimsuit.

Finn popped up from under the water and shook the water out of his hair. "Come on in Rach!" he called. "Once you're in, it feels GREAT!"

Rachel sat on the edge of the pool, trying to get the nerve to slide in.

"Well, if you're not going to get in, I have a solution." Finn smirked. He swam to the edge of the pool and pulled Rachel in by her ankles.

"FINN!" Rachel screamed as she resurfaced. "You bad, bad boy!"

"Now that you're in the water, how's it feel?" Finn asked.

"Once you get in, it's not bad," Rachel admitted. "However, I think you deserve a bit of revenge." She smirked.

"What sort of revenge did you have in mind?" Finn asked, pretending to look scared.

"THIS!" Rachel grabbed Finn's shoulders and pushed him under the water, doing her best to dunk him.

"Now we're even, huh Finny?" Rachel cackled.

"NOW we're even!" Finn laughed.

"You look cute with wet hair," Rachel said impulsively.

Before Finn had a chance to respond, another group of high school aged kids entered the pool area, most of them wearing black jackets with "VA" and a music note on the back in red letters.

"Finn, do you think that's Vocal Adrenaline?" Rachel whispered.

Finn shrugged. "As strict as this hotel is, I'm surprised they're letting two school groups stay here at once. But probably."

"Every time I see Vocal Adrenaline people, the first thing I think of is when they all started throwing eggs at me in the parking lot last year," Rachel groaned.

"Don't worry, Rach," Finn said. "Here, you're safe. None of us are going to let them anywhere near you."

Rachel leaned over to kiss Finn.

"Well, if it isn't my lovely soulmate Rachel Berry."

Rachel and Finn turned around to see Jesse sliding into the pool.

"Jesse?" Rachel gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Now that I'm in college, Rachel, I get out earlier, so I've spent the last few months as an assistant coach of Vocal Adrenaline," Jesse said with a fake smile. "Finnegan, nice to see you."

"It's Finn." Finn gritted his teeth.

"Hey Finn, let's go in the hot tub," Rachel whispered. As soon as they got in there, Rachel said to Finn, "What the hell is he doing here? I do not need him! This is stressful enough as is!" She felt a huge panic rush over her.

"It's okay, Rach." Finn scooted in closer. "We've just got to avoid him."

"I still have visions at night of those eggs flying at me sometimes," Rachel wailed.

"Nothing will happen to you!" Finn gave Rachel one of those very comforting smiles. "I have a surprise for you tonight."

"ANOTHER surprise?"

Finn nodded.

"What?"

"How'd you like to go to a carnival together?"

"That would be awesome! Just the two of us?"

"Well, I talked to the guys and lots of them want to bring their girls, too. But I've already claimed you for my partner on the rides."

"Sounds good to me," Rachel said. She was temporarily distracted from seeing Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline.

x

The whole group ended up going to the carnival that evening, except Santana, who was still confined to room arrest. They got dinner at the carnival and played some games before lining up for the Ferris Wheel, when they were told that only two people could ride in each car.

"I get Mike!" Tina grabbed Mike's arm.

"Yeah, and I'm with Blaine," said Kurt.

"Of course all the couples are going to pair off," Mercedes grunted. "Let's let us singles figure it out."

"I'm with Finn," Rachel announced.

"You and Finn basically count as a couple," Kurt said.

Finn and Rachel exchanged a look.

"Okay then. Quinn, want to go together?" Sam asked.

"If you're okay with it," Quinn said.

"Oh, so I'm with Brittany," Mercedes sighed.

"Artie can't ride it, so I guess you are," Brittany said.

"Okay, time to board," said the ride operator.

Pair by pair, the group got in their cars on the Ferris Wheel.

x

Quinn and Sam sat on their seat on the Ferris Wheel as it moved slowly.

"I was thinking," Sam said. "I was really impressed with how you stood up for Rachel this afternoon."

"Thanks," Quinn said. "I just had to. I felt so bad about not doing it last night when Santana came into the room. I'm surprised Rachel was so quick to forgive me."

"She's a forgiving person, I guess. Seeing you stand up for her down there reminded me of what attracted me to you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Quinn didn't know what to say to that. She didn't want to hurt Sam again, but she was currently undercover dating the boy of her dreams.

x

Finn and Rachel sat in the seat in the Ferris Wheel above Sam and Quinn. "Rach, I'm scared of heights," Finn suddenly admitted, grabbing Rachel's arm.

"Oh, so for a change I'm the brave one?" Rachel said with a laugh. "Don't worry, you're fine with me."

Finn just smiled at Rachel.

"I love New York!" Rachel sighed.

"It's a pretty incredible city, huh?" Finn said. "First time I've been out of Ohio, but anyway - "

"I can totally see myself here in a few years acting on Broadway!" Rachel said.

"I'll be in the front row for your shows," Finn said.

Rachel leaned close against Finn. "I've missed you. So much."

Finn put his arm around Rachel. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

x

The rest of the evening was fun and Rachel felt her faith in Finn returning. Rachel gave Finn a hug before bed and headed back to her own room. As she was arriving her phone went off, a text from Kurt: _I totally saw you and Finn getting cozy on the Ferris Wheel._

"Oh God!" Rachel said out loud.

"What is it?" Quinn asked.

"Kurt," Rachel said. "He said he saw Finn and me 'getting cozy on the Ferris Wheel.'" She replied back to Kurt: _Haha. Very funny._

"Please," Quinn said. Then her phone went off.

"Quinn, I'm going to go get a pop from the vending machine," Rachel said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Quinn handed Rachel a dollar bill. "Get me a diet coke," she said before going back to her conversation on the phone.

"Of course," Rachel said before heading down the hall to get their drinks.

"Hey, Rachel!" Rachel turned around to see Finn.

"Oh, hey Finn!"

"Did you have fun this evening?"

"This whole trip has been so much fun!"

"I know, right?"

Rachel and Finn got pop from the vending machines and were chatting for a few minutes before Quinn came running into the vending machine area in tears.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Rachel gasped.

"Let's just go back to the room," Quinn sobbed.

"Okay. Good night, Finn." The girls went back to their room and unlocked the door.

"Now that it's just us, what's wrong?" Rachel sat beside Quinn on her bed and put her arm around her.

"Danny - " Quinn began and then started crying again.


	7. Chapter 7: Love Polygons

_Thanks to everyone who's been reading this. I've been really busy with school lately, but the story is coming along and I am happy with how it's turning out. Here's chapter 7, read, review, alert and favorite! I know the chapter title's kind of stupid, but I couldn't think of a better one..._

Chapter 7: Love Polygons

"What happened, Quinn? If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay," Rachel said, hugging her roommate.

"Danny broke up with me," Quinn sobbed.

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"He met a girl at his sister's middle school band concert who he thought was prettier," Quinn said. "He said she was incredibly hot and he fell for her right away, harder than he fell for me. So he got her phone number and decided he was done with me."

"What? So he just dumped you for some random girl?" Rachel gasped. "That's so stupid."

"Now I know how you felt when Finn broke up with you," Quinn sobbed. "And how Finn felt when I cheated with Puck and Sam felt when I cheated with Finn."

"Dial his number," Rachel demanded, "and hand me the phone."

"Rachel, I don't think that's a good idea," Quinn whispered.

"Oh, when you hear what I say, you will." Rachel smiled an evil smile.

Quinn dialed Danny's number and handed Rachel the phone. "Hello, Danny," Rachel said when the phone went to voicemail. "No, this isn't Quinn. This is her friend Rachel. I just wanted to let you know NOBODY does that to my friend. Nobody just leaves her for some random girl he meets at his sister's concert. That's just plain stupid. She's not going to last with you. And quite frankly, Quinn is going to go on to find a nice guy who loves everything about her, but no girl will want to go out with you because this is how you treat your girlfriends. If you try to give Quinn any more shit, I'm going to send Finn, Puck, Sam, Mike, Artie, Kurt and Blaine to your house with a baseball bat to break your precious face. Yeah, so stay the hell away from my friend and don't think you can break her heart again."

"Thanks, Rachel," Quinn said after Rachel was done. "But you know, he met me in the same way he met that other girl."

"It doesn't matter how YOU met him, Quinn," Rachel said. "You're better than that. You know, like I told him, there's lots of guys out there who will love everything about you, even the things you don't like, while losers like Danny just have brief flings with girls they meet at random events."

The girls shared a laugh. "You know, prom's a week away and I doubt word's gotten back to the school about you and Finn..." Rachel began.

"He's yours, Rachel," Quinn said. "I kept him from you long enough. You two have always been in love and I'm not going to stand in the way of that. I did that too much already."

"I still love Finn," Rachel admitted.

"Watching you guys it's clear. You might as well be official again," Quinn said.

"How the heck did we not know we could have these conversations together before?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know why we weren't friends before, but I'm glad we are now." Quinn smiled at Rachel.

Rachel smiled back at Quinn. "So am I."

The girls heard a knock at their door. "That better not be Santana again," Rachel groaned.

"If it is, I'm not letting her in," Quinn stated.

"I'll see who it is." Rachel opened the door to find a basket of flowers. She brought them into the room. "I wonder who they're for?"

"They're probably for you," Quinn said. "I've broken too many hearts for them to be for me."

"Don't say that!" Rachel looked through the basket and found an envelope with her name on it. "They're for me."

"Told ya."

"I wonder who they're from?"

"Please! They're from Finn."

"That's what I would have thought, but I don't recognize this handwriting..."

Quinn came over and took a look. "Neither do I. Maybe he had the florist write it or something."

Rachel opened the card. "All it says is 'Good luck at your first Nationals.' He didn't sign it."

"Don't worry Rach. I'm sure it's from Finn. Ask him in the morning. We'd better get to bed."

"Yeah." Rachel climbed into her bed. "Nightie night, Quinn."

"Good night Rach." Quinn turned off the light.

x

Finn was thrilled from having another great night with Rachel in New York. He got out his envelope for the next day and noticed that there were four tickets. He turned to his roommates.

"So, I have four tickets for the Yankees game against the Indians tomorrow," Finn said. "Would you two like to come?"

"Sorry Finn, Lauren and I are going to a show at Central park with Mike and Tina," said Puck.

"I'd like to go," Sam said. "That would be fun."

"Great," Finn said. "Now we need to find someone to give the fourth ticket to."

"If it's okay with you, I have someone in mind," said Sam.

"Okay, who?" Finn asked.

"Quinn."

"Quinn?"

"Yeah, I just feel that my feelings for her are coming back."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought it was really cool when she stood up for Rachel downstairs at rehearsal. We're 16, we're in high school, so..."

"Well, if you want to ask Quinn, she can come."

x

"I can not believe him!" It was the next morning and Rachel and Quinn were getting ready for their day. "Seriously, Rachel, what was he thinking? Leaving me for some random girl he met at a MIDDLE SCHOOL concert? How lame is that?" Quinn knew she had met Danny basically in the same way he met this other girl, but that didn't make her any less hurt. Breakups never felt good and Rachel, of all people, would understand.

"He's a jerk, Quinn. Don't think about him. He isn't worth it."

"Well, now not only do I have no running mate for prom queen, I don't even have a date!"

"Finn was probably just mad yesterday. I'm sure if you apologize -"

"No, Rachel. It's YOU and Finn. He sent you those flowers."

Rachel and Quinn left their room and saw the boys in the hallway. "Hey there, sexy ladies!" Puck said.

"Those flowers you sent Rachel last night were nice, Finn," Quinn said in a voice that was a little too loud.

"What flowers?" Finn asked with a confused look on his face.

"We got an unexpected delivery of flowers at our room last night," Rachel said. "I don't know who they're from, but Quinn thought they were from you."

"That's odd. I wonder who sent them?" Finn said.

"So do I," Rachel said.

"Anyways, Rach, I got tickets to the Yankees game against the Indians tonight. Would you like to join me?" Finn asked.

"I'd love to!" Rachel said.

Quinn was beginning to feel more and more jealous. Not because it was Finn, but because Rachel still had a guy who loved her and Danny had dumped Quinn.

"Oh, and Quinn, Finn got four tickets," Sam said. "I'm going, and I'm wondering if you'd like to go, too."

Was Sam really asking her to go? "Uh..." Quinn began.

Quinn heard her phone go off, a text from Rachel: _You should come with us. It'll take your mind off __things._

She smiled at Rachel and then turned to Sam. "Yeah, I think it'll be fun." Was Sam starting to like her again?

x

That evening, Finn, Rachel, Sam and Quinn stood in line at Yankees stadium, the only people within eyeshot wearing Indians shirts instead of Yankees gear.

"Seriously Finn, all these nights, how are you affording them?" Rachel asked.

"Working at Sheets N Things and Burt's tire shop and doing chores around the house," said Finn.

Rachel looked up in the stands and saw Jesse. He smiled deviously and waved. Rachel turned away quickly and grabbed Finn's hand.

"You okay, Rach?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, what makes you think I'm not?" Rachel asked.

"The way you grabbed my hand," said Finn. He exchanged a look with Sam.

"I'm fine, Finn." Just then, Grady Sizemore hit a grand slam. The Yankee crowd booed. The four Ohio teenagers jumped up and cheered, getting looks from those around them.

"We're from Ohio. Here on a school trip," Sam clarified.

"Got it," grumbled an old guy sitting in front of them.

Rachel's mind stayed off Jesse for the rest of the game. The Indians won, 11-3, and when they won, once again, Finn, Rachel, Sam and Quinn were the only ones nearby cheering.

As they left the stadium, they heard a voice behind them. "Hello, Rachel. Hello, klutzy quarterback. Hello, baby mama. Who's this bigmouth with you?"

The four turned around to see Jesse.

"What do you want, St. Douche?" Finn snapped.

"I wanna get Rachel back," Jesse said. "Look, my friends told me to smash that egg on your head..."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not available, Jesse," Rachel said, trying to sound calm.

"NOT AVAILABLE?" Jesse gasped. "Didn't you like those flowers I sent you?"

"Those were from you?" Rachel shouted.

"Let's get out of here," Sam said. The four made a run out of the stadium, and Sam said, "Who was that?"

Finn explained the whole Jesse situation to Sam.

"What an asshole," Sam said when Finn was done.

"I know, right?" Finn said. He turned to Rachel. "You okay, Rach?"

"Yeah, I just - wasn't expecting to see him. Do you think he's following me?" Rachel was really worried.

"It's okay, Rach. Hopefully we won't be seeing him again." Finn gave Rachel a hug.

"What does he want?" Rachel was getting more and more worried. "He already tricked me and broke my heart once. I don't want that to happen again."

"If he tries to go anywhere near you, the guys and I are going to slash his tires again," Finn said.

"Don't, we'll get disqualified," Rachel sighed.

"Either way, we won't let them near you," Finn told Rachel.

"Yeah," Sam said in agreement. "Those Vocal Adrenaline freaks aren't going to be anywhere near you."

"I'm fine, really," Rachel said. "This has been a great week."

"It sure has!" Finn said.

The taxi pulled up and drove the four back to the hotel. As Finn and Rachel climbed into the third row of the taxi, Sam whispered to Quinn, "Get Rachel out of the room briefly tonight when we get back. I want to talk to you alone."

x

Back at the hotel, Quinn sent Rachel to get snacks downstairs so she could have time alone with Sam. Rachel seemed to pick up on it.

"Okay, so Sam, what's going on?" Quinn asked when Rachel was gone.

"I think I'm falling for you again," Sam said.

"I'm surprised," Quinn said. "I was a total bitch. I don't know why I cheated on you. That was so wrong."

"Quinn, we're in high school," Sam said. "It's not like we were married. I tried, but I just couldn't bring myself to hate you. The feelings never went away. I was especially turned on when you defended Rachel yesterday and that made me realize why I liked you so much."

Quinn began to feel intense guilt for everything that had gone on with all her boyfriends. Finally she admitted, "I've made some mistakes, Sam, and I really just want to figure things out right now. We can be friends."

"The offer's still good," Sam said.

"I'm sorry, Sam, I'll keep that in mind. Give me time to think about this, okay?"

"Okay, just let me know what you decide to do." Sam left the room. Quinn would have said yes, but since she'd made so many bad decisions with boys lately, maybe it was time for a break. Having Danny leave her had brought her back to Earth and know how Sam and Finn had felt.

Quinn's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock at the door. "Can I come back in?" Rachel called.

"Come on in," Quinn called.

Rachel came into the room. "What's going on?"

"Sam came in and said he wants to get back together."

"And - "

"I don't know if I should. I've made lots of mistakes with boys lately. I don't know if I want to break any more hearts."

Rachel was about to respond when the girls heard a knock on the door.

_Haha - I decided to end with yet ANOTHER cliffhanger! Who was at the door? You'll find out when I post Chapter 8 in a few days!_


	8. Chapter 8: Competition Day Gets Closer

Chapter 8: Competition Day Gets Closer

A plate of sugar cookies sat on the doormat in front of Rachel and Quinn's room.

"Someone left some goodies for us." Rachel brought the plate of cookies into the room. "Hmmm, I wonder who it was?" She shook her head in disgust. "Probably that creeper Jesse."

"What does he want with you?" Quinn pondered.

"I don't know, Quinn." Rachel put the plate on the table and sat down on her bed. "I really don't know. Why does he think I'd be willing to get back with him after he let all his friends egg me and then smashed an egg on my head in front of all of them?"

"Do you think he's stalking you?"

"I don't know, I don't want this to get in the way. I just want to enjoy New York and Nationals. Please don't tell Mr. Schue or Finn or anyone."

"Okay, but if he tries to hurt you or anything, you've got to go to Mr. Schue." The phone rang.

"I am not answering that," both girls said at once. They laughed and let the voicemail pick it up, but heard the message as it was being left. "Hey, Rachel. You are so sexy. It's so great to see you. You're so beautiful. I can't wait to hear your lovely voice on that stage..."

"Oh my God," Rachel groaned. "Quinn, he's drunk!"

"Your boobs are great," Jesse gagged into the message machine. "Do you think you'll let me touch them?"

"Creeper!" Quinn shouted. She grabbed the phone. "Hey Jesse St. Douchebag, shut the fuck up!" She hung up the phone.

"Thanks," Rachel said.

"Hey, you gave Danny that great speech. I'm just returning the favor. I'd give Jesse a speech, but I think he's too drunk."

Rachel sat there, getting more and more worried. What did Jesse want from her?

"Rachel, are you okay? Do you want me to get Finn?"

"It's late, maybe I'll feel better in the morning. Let's just go to sleep."

"Okay."

x

"Hey Finn, how did you approach Rachel about doing all these things together?" Sam asked almost immediately that next morning as the boys were getting ready for their day.

"Just really casually," Finn said. "I didn't want to make it seem so big, like I had an ulterior motive, like my end goal was to get her back, which of course it was. I wanted to make her think that we were doing these things as friends, but then let them turn into more."

"Any more plans?"

"Yeah. Tonight I have tickets for _Wicked_ on Broadway and then tomorrow I have tickets for a ferry boat ride to the Statue of Liberty."

"You're a smart one, Finn."

"Are you -"

Sam gulped. "I'd like to do something with Quinn tonight. Just the two of us. How would you suggest asking her?"

"Honestly? Just like I did with Rachel. Just go up to her and ask her if she'd like to hang out. What did you have in mind?"

"Probably just dinner."

"If you do dinner, get a horse-drawn carriage to take you guys. That's what I did with Rachel. It's less expensive than a limo and more romantic than a taxi."

"Can I have the number of the place you got one for you and Rachel?"

"Sure thing." Finn wrote down the number of the place and handed it to Sam.

"I'm so glad Lauren and I are rock solid," Puck said.

"Rachel and I may have had our ups and downs, but I know when I'm with her is when I feel my best," Finn said. "And I'm going to get her back."

"Well, this week, you've been giving her lots of opportunities to tell you she loves you," Puck commented.

"I think we're both waiting for the right moment."

x

That afternoon, during their time off, the girls and Kurt were shopping when Rachel was approached by another familar figure.

"Shelby?" Rachel said.

"Hey Rachel," Shelby said. "So, you guys made Nationals this year."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "We're really excited."

"I saw the video of your regionals original songs on YouTube," Shelby said. "You did such a great job."

"Thank you, Shelby," Rachel said.

"So, how are you? I haven't seen you since Regionals last year."

"I'm fine. It's been quite a year."

"I've had a big year, too. I quit coaching Vocal Adrenaline and I adopted a baby."

"A baby?"

"Yeah. Quinn's baby."

Rachel felt somewhat hurt in hearing this. Was her mother not interested in being her mother, but in being someone else's?

"I'm happy for you." Rachel forced a smile.

"How have things been with New Directions? How's Finn?"

"Finn's fine. We've had our ups and downs this year, we aren't together now, but we're still definitely good friends and we've had a lot of fun together this week. I've also gotten a lot closer with the girls in the glee club this year, I'm actually shopping with them now." Rachel wished she could have this conversation with her mother about boys and friends. She would have needed her mother during her breakup.

"Rachel!" Rachel turned to see Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn, Tina and Brittany. "Ready to go?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah." Rachel looked at Shelby. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." Shelby smiled at Rachel. "Good luck at your first Nationals."

Rachel went back to join her friends. "That was my mother," she told them.

"Oh geez," Kurt said. "What did she want?"

"She was just checking in." Rachel wanted to tell her friends that she wished she could have a relationship with her. Then her phone went off. It was a text from Finn. _I have two tickets to Wicked on Broadway tonight. Be my guest?_

Rachel smiled and texted back right away: _Heck yes!_

"Was that your boyfriend?" Tina asked.

"No, that was Finn," Rachel said.

"Finn IS your boyfriend. Everyone thinks so, except apparently you two. Come on, you've been going out EVERY night since we got here!" Kurt said.

Rachel just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"So, what was he doing, asking you out on another date?" Mercedes said.

"Well, he asked me if I wanted to go to _Wicked_ together tonight," Rachel said.

"No fair!" Kurt said. "Blaine only got me tickets to _South of the Pacific_ tonight."

Then Quinn's phone went off. Rachel noticed she was smiling and giggling when she read her text and texted back.

"Who was that, Quinn?" Rachel asked, glad to take the attention off herself.

"It was Sam," Quinn said.

"And what did he want?" asked Mercedes.

"He wants to go out to dinner and do some sightseeing tonight," Quinn said.

"You should do it!" Rachel said. "I had a lot of fun when I went out to dinner with Finn the other night and you guys seemed to be having fun when we went to the baseball game."

"I know, but Sam and I aren't you and Finn, Rachel," Quinn said. "I mean, you guys have always loved each other, no matter what..."

"It's as if tonight's date night," Tina said. "Mike's taking me to a show in Central Park."

"Yeah," Brittany said. "I talked Santana into taking me to the puppet show at Toys R Us for the first night she can go out."

"Blaine and I are going to _South of the Pacific_," Kurt said.

"Yeah and Artie and I are going for a carriage ride around downtown NYC," Mercedes said.

"Since when are you and Artie dating?" Tina looked at Mercedes.

"We aren't, we just thought that would be something fun to do." Mercedes slapped Tina.

"So it's decided, Quinn," Rachel said. "You and Sam are going out tonight."

"Okay." Quinn got out her phone and appeared to be texting Sam again.

x

That evening, Finn was waiting for Rachel in the twelfth floor hallway. He was sure Rachel would enjoy their night at Broadway. He thought in a few years Rachel would be performing on Broadway - and hoped he'd be watching from the stands as her husband.

Rachel came out of her room, in a short navy sleeveless dress with a white cardigan with three-quarter sleeves. It looked like she'd curled her hair.

"You look - really pretty," Finn said. He wanted to say "sexy" but still wasn't quite ready.

"Thanks, Finny," Rachel said. "You look very handsome."

"Ready to go to your future workplace?" Finn asked.

"Heck yeah!" Rachel appeared to be stumbling.

"Rach, are you - "

"Wearing three inch heels? Yes. I've made a point of becoming more fashionable on this trip."

"Rachel, whether you wear reindeer sweaters or low cut short dresses, I think you're beautiful."

"Thanks. Hopefully I won't attract creepers - "

Finn paused. "Does this have something to do with Jesse?"

"He called my hotel room drunk last night."

"WHAT?" Finn felt anger boiling over him. He knew from the beginning that Jesse was bad news and now he was harrassing Rachel again. "Rachel, did he try to hurt you?"

"No, he's just creeping me out. But people from my past keep popping up."

"Who else?"

"My mother."

"Did SHE bother you at all?"

"No, but I just felt bad. I want a relationship with my mother so much, but I don't know if she wants one with me."

Finn didn't know what to say. "Rachel, between the competition in two days, seeing people from your past and the whole thing with Santana, there's a lot of stress going on. Let's just enjoy tonight and not think of that," he said, thinking out loud.

Finn was relieved when what he said went over well with Rachel. She put her arms around him and said, "That's a great idea."

As they walked from the hotel to Broadway, Rachel linked her arm in Finn's. It felt good. The city was brightly lit and romantic and Finn felt an uncontrollable urge to pull Rachel close and kiss her. Still, he didn't have the guts.

Finn and Rachel were seated in the theatre. Finn wasn't as into musicals as Rachel was but he was enjoying Wicked nonetheless. Rachel knew the words to lots of the songs. In the second act, during "As Long As You're Mine," Rachel grabbed Finn's hand. Finn looked at Rachel and smiled. The song made him think of Rachel.

On the way back to the hotel, Rachel seemed calm, but tired. Finn had a taxi take them back to the hotel. He looked down and smiled. Rachel had fallen asleep slouching against him. She looked so peaceful and cute when she was sleeping. He kissed her cheek.

x

Meanwhile, Sam and Quinn were on a date of their own at a restaurant in Chinatown. A horse-drawn carriage had taken them from the hotel and to Chinatown. They'd done some sightseeing and now were eating dinner.

After casually chatting, Sam said to Quinn, "I have something to say."

"Can I go first?" Quinn asked. "Okay, it was wrong of me to kiss Finn. I was crazily obsessed with being prom queen. Of course, now I have no running mate, so I'll withdraw my application when we get back to Lima. Finn's heart belongs to Rachel. But you know, popularity isn't everything. Sam, I think you brought out the best in me and make me feel good about myself. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but what I'm simply asking for is another chance. We don't have to be a couple again, but I want to gain back your trust."

"Who opened your eyes?"

"I guess you could say Rachel did."

"I think she's what opened my eyes, too. If anyone knows about hurt and forgiveness, it's Rachel."

"I know. I mean, she said I deserved another chance and in the past few days, we've had a lot of fun together in our room and with the other girls."

Sam smiled at Quinn across the table. Quinn smiled back.


	9. Chapter 9: Crunch Time

_Thanks so much for all your nice comments. Writing FanFics has been lots of fun and I didn't know how much fun it would be. I have over 7500 reads on FanFic. I hope you enjoy this chapter - this was one of my faves in this story :)_

Chapter 9: Crunch Time

"Rachel, why haven't you been answering my calls? Or thanking me for my gifts?"  
At breakfast the morning before the competition, the New Directions were enjoying breakfast at their designated tables when someone showed up at their table.  
"Jesse, why are you bugging me?" Rachel groaned. This was NOT what ANYONE needed the day before the big competition.  
"Come on, Rachel," Jesse said. "You and I were made for each other and we both know it. We could star on a big show on Broadway together. Do you really want to hang out with the slut (he pointed at Quinn), the bitch (he pointed at Santana), the retard (he pointed at Brittany), the fatso (he pointed at Lauren), the stuck-up diva (he pointed at Mercedes), the weird Asians (he pointed at Mike and Tina), the fags (he pointed at Kurt and Blaine), the nerd (he pointed at Artie), the big mouth (he pointed at Sam), the future criminal (he pointed at Puck) and that failure at life (he pointed at Finn)? You deserve better than these losers, Rachel."  
Rachel stood up and looked Jesse straight in the eyes. "You know what, Jesse? NO ONE talks about my friends that way. I am NEVER going to go back to you. You SMASHED an egg on my head and threw eggs at me and then laughed at me and ran off. Everyone knew you were bad news from the beginning and I fell for you once. I'm not falling for your crap again. All these people were here for me when you broke my heart and humiliated me. Therefore, I'm staying right here. Get the heck away from me and my friends."  
Jesse scowled at Rachel and walked away, mumbling, "You're gonna pay for this."  
"You showed him, Rachel!" Mercedes said, high-fiving Rachel.  
"Seriously, Rachel, I didn't know you had that in you," Kurt said.  
"Oh, you don't want to get Rachel mad," Quinn said, giving Rachel a look saying she was grateful for Rachel standing up to Danny.  
x  
Practice that afternoon was more intense than ever. Mr. Schue was clearly trying to make them relax, but it was clear that everyone was very nervous. This year, there were no threats of Glee club being cancelled if they didn't place at Nationals, but the competition would be tough and people from all over the country would be watching.  
After three hours, Mr. Schue said, "Okay, everyone, that's a wrap. We've done all we can to prepare for tomorrow and no matter what happens, I'm so proud of all of you. Last year we didn't even place at Regionals. Now we're at Nationals."  
"Mr. Schue, are you sure there's nothing more we can do?" Kurt asked.  
"Our numbers are near perfect," said Mr. Schue. "I want you guys to just have fun in New York tonight and tomorrow we're going to have a party, regardless of the outcome of the competition. Would our captains like to say a few words?"  
Finn and Rachel exchanged a glance. "I just want to say that I love all of you," Rachel said. "I may not have always shown it, but this is my family and it always will be. No matter what happens tomorrow, no one can ever take that away from us. When I first started, there were five of us and we sounded terrible. Now, there's fourteen of us and we sound amazing."  
"I agree with everything Rachel said," Finn said. "Tomorrow when we're on that stage, I don't want anyone to think about the placements. Just go into a bubble, have fun and enjoy the experience. Kick ass and remember, it's only us. We came here to do the best we could and to bond. I know we've done the second thing, now let's do the first."  
"I just want to say," Sam said, "I think I speak for everyone when I thank you guys for being really, really, really good captains." Everyone else began cheering.  
"Thank you." Finn smiled. "We try."  
"Okay, everyone," Mr. Schue said. "Just go out and enjoy tonight."  
The group began to leave when Finn stopped Rachel. "I have one more thing," he told her.  
"Finn, you must be broke at this point!" Rachel laughed.  
Finn pulled out two tickets for a ferry boat ride. "A ferry boat ride to the Statue of Liberty. Want to join me?"  
Rachel gave Finn a hug. "I'd love to."  
x  
The sun was setting and the sky was gold and pink.  
The Hudson river sparkled and moved gently.  
The Statue of Liberty was in the distance.  
Music played on the boat.  
Finn and Rachel sat on their bench, looking into the skyline. They sat quietly and it didn't feel awkward at all.  
Finn slouched over to rest his head on Rachel's shoulder. Then, he felt her fingers making their way through his hair.  
"Using a different shampoo, Finn?" Rachel asked. "It's so soft."  
"Maybe you just haven't touched it in a while," Finn said.  
"I've missed playing with these thick brown locks," Rachel giggled.  
Finn leaned down and kissed her forehead. He took a loose strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "You look so beautiful tonight," he said. "Looking forward to tomorrow?"  
Rachel sighed. "I can't believe it's here."  
"Neither can I. It feels like yesterday I was blackmailed into joining Glee."  
"All year, we've been waiting for this and what a year it's been..."  
Memories of the year flashed through Finn's head. He'd lost his quarterback position, then gotten it back. His mother had gotten married. He and Rachel had been broken up and he'd been miserable. He tried to get with Quinn to make things better and became more miserable. Kurt had left New Directions and then come back with Blaine. They'd won Sectionals and Regionals (with their original songs). The football team had won the conference championship. It had been a year full of ups and downs.  
"Something on your mind?" Rachel asked.  
Rachel knew Finn too well. "Just reflecting on the past year," Finn said.  
"It's been quite a roller coaster, hasn't it?"  
"One like I've never been on." Finn stared into Rachel's eyes. They were sparkling.  
"What is it, Finny?"  
"Just... how I'm feeling now... I can't quite put it into words..."  
Rachel leaned over and kissed Finn. Not on the cheek. Not on the hand. Not on the forehead. On the lips.  
"Can I hug you?" Finn asked.  
"Of course!" Rachel threw herself into Finn's arms and he didn't want to release her.  
Then, fireworks flew into the sky. Finn grabbed Rachel's hand and ran toward the rail of the boat. They stood by the rail and watched the fireworks.  
Rachel snuggled up close to Finn. "Finny, I don't want this night to end," she said. "It's been perfect in every way. You've given me such a great week. Thank you so much."  
"Thank YOU, Rach." Finn hugged Rachel. "I just wish we could stay here in this moment forever." He had to stop himself from using the three word sentence, but if there was one thing he could feel tonight, it was love.  
And the fact that "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" was playing didn't make him feel any less of it. He knew one thing and one thing only: he and Rachel were made for each other.  
x  
Finn and Rachel took the train back to the hotel and headed to their rooms, Rachel still feeling on an adrenaline high.  
She went into her room to find Quinn sitting on her bed, on her laptop.  
"Quinn!" Rachel gasped. "I had the best night ever with Finn." She skipped around the room in circles, telling her roommate every detail of their night on the ferry boat. "The whole thing was awesome, especially the quiet time. We could just cuddle together and feel comfortable. I'd be lucky to end up with a boy like Finn."  
"You are," Quinn said. "You're WITH him."  
"We haven't declared it."  
"Sounds like boyfriend- girlfriend to me. Did you guys - "  
"I kissed him, Quinn. Like, legitimate kiss. We made it to first base. First time since - "  
x  
"Good afternoon and welcome to the 2011 US National High School Show Choir Championships!"  
It was the big day. Competition day. New Directions was sitting in the theatre in their costumes, waiting to take the stage in a matter of hours. The girls were in sleeveless emerald green dresses to their knees with violet purple sashes and sapphire blue tights. They had their hair tied back with scarves to match their sashes. The boys were in emerald green shirts, sapphire blue pants and violet purple ties.  
Across the aisle were Vocal Adrenaline. The boys were dressed in all black - pants, shirts and ties. The girls all had on black leotards with a skirt, shoulder bows and hair ribbons in one of four colors: fuchsia, sea green, turquoise or royal blue. Many of them looked around the room, smirking at anyone they made eye contact with.  
One looked directly at Rachel and said, "I remember you! We egged you last year..."  
"Leave her alone," Finn snapped.  
"Whatever," the Vocal Adrenaline boy said before walking away. "We'll kick your butts."  
"Don't let him get to you, Rach," Finn said. The MC continued before Rachel responded.  
"Our panel of judges," the MC continued, "he is the 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating and the runner-up of Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars - Evan Lysacek!"  
"He is the 2004 Democratic Presidential Nominee and a six term US Senator from Massachusetts - John Kerry!"  
"She is a bestselling author for teens across the country - Jodi Piccoult!"  
"A US Senator, an author and an Olympic skater? Are you kidding me?" Puck protested. "How are they supposed to know anything about show choirs?"  
"Calm down, Puck," Mr. Schue said. "We don't want to cause a scene."  
The MC went on: "Our first competitors, from Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, Berkeley Barristers!"  
The first performance wasn't the best, in Finn's opinion. But then came an announcement: "From Carmel High School in Akron, Ohio, Vocal Adrenaline!"  
Vocal Adrenaline began a performance of a Phantom of the Opera medley. Rachel tapped Mr. Schue's shoulder. "Mr. Schue, I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a few minutes, is that okay?" she said.  
"Are you all right, Rachel?" Mr. Schue asked. "Do you want someone to go with you?"  
"I'm fine, I'll be okay," Rachel said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."  
As soon as Rachel was gone, Finn leaned over and whispered to Mr. Schue, "I'm going to go with her. I don't think she should be alone."  
"Thanks Finn," Mr. Schue whispered.  
Finn left the auditorium to find Rachel standing in the foyer, looking dejected. "What's up?" he asked, putting his arm around her.  
"What are you doing?" Rachel looked at Finn, clearly fighting back tears.  
"I know you and I think you could use a friend now."  
Rachel threw her arms around Finn. "Finn, I can't do this. I don't know what it is, I've competed so many times and won so many times but this is the big league and I don't think I'm up to it."  
"What the hell? Did one of those Vocal Adrenaline freaks say something?"  
"Nobody said anything, Finn. I'm just losing confidence."  
"That's what I'm here for. I have so much confidence in you, Rachel. We are going to kill it with our ballad and then with our group numbers."  
Rachel hugged Finn. "You're the best friend I've ever had."  
Finn hugged Rachel back. "I can say the same for you. Come on. Let's go join everyone backstage." He offered Rachel his arm and they headed backstage to join their teammates.  
Everyone backstage looked nervous, but at the same time, hopeful. Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, Artie, Mike and Tina were sitting on a couch looking at each other. Quinn was sitting on Sam's knee with her arm around him. Puck and Lauren were cuddling on that same couch. Brittany and Santana were squeezed together on an easy chair, doing their usually pinky lock.  
"You guys ready?" Finn asked the group.  
"Let's kick some butt!" Rachel declared, throwing her fist up in the air.  
"Put your right hands in this circle in the center, and on three, New Directions!" Finn ordered the group. Everyone put their hands in the circle. "One, two, three - "  
"NEW DIRECTIONS!" Everyone raised up their hands and began cheering.


	10. Chapter 10: Showtime

_Thanks to everyone whose read and reviewed this and my other story. I hit 8000 views and I am thrilled out of my mind. Enjoy this chapter - New Directions' performance at Nationals - and don't forget to review! :)_

Chapter 10: Showtime

"Our next competitors, from McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!"

Rachel gulped as she and Finn waited to enter the stage. She looked at Finn. "Break a leg," she said.

"I love you," Finn said.

Rachel got the biggest smile on her face. This was the same conversation they'd had before Regionals last year - and it was just as meaningful.

The music began and she and Finn entered the stage.

Finn: _I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

Rachel: _I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

Both: _I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

Finn: _Lying close to you feeling your heart beating_

_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming_

_Wondering if it's me you're seeing_

Rachel: _Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together_

_I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever, forever and ever_

Both: _I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

Finn: _I don't wanna miss one smile, I don't wanna miss one kiss_

Rachel:_ I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this_

Finn: _I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine_

_And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time_

Both: _I don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

_I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing_

_I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_Yeah, I don't wanna miss a thing_

The audience were on their feet when Finn and Rachel finished their song. Rachel couldn't help but pull Finn in for a hug. He offered her his hand as they walked up to join the rest of the group. Several of their teammates smiled at them, high-fived them or gave them thumbs up.

Then the music for their second song began.

Finn: _Sun coming up over New York City_

_School bus driver in a traffic jam_

Rachel: _Starin' at the faces in her rearview mirror _

_Looking at the promise of the Promised Land _

Sam: _One kid dreams of fame and fortune_

_One kid helps pay the rent_

Quinn: _One could end up going to prison_

_One just might be president_

New Directions: _Only in America_

_Dreaming in red, white and blue_

_Only in America_

_Where we dream as big as we want to_

_We all get a chance_

_Everybody gets to dance_

_Only in America_

Puck: _Sun going down on an La. freeway_

_Newlyweds in the back of a limousine_

Mercedes: _A welder's son and a banker's daughter_

_All they want is everything_

Artie: _She came out here to be an actress_

_He was the singer in a band_

Tina: _They just might go back to Oklahoma_

_And talk about the stars they could have been _

New Directions: _Only in America_

_Where we dream in red, white and blue_

_Only in America_

_Where we dream as big as we want to_

_We all get a chance_

_Everybody gets to dance_

_Only in America_

_Yeah only in America_

Kurt: _Only in America_

_Where we dream in red, white and blue_

Blaine: _Only in America_

_Where we dream as big as we want to_

Brittany: _We all get a chance_

Santana: _Everybody g__ets to dance_

Lauren: _Only in America_

Mike: _Yeah only in America_

_Where we dream in red, white and blue_

New Directions: _Yeah we dream as big as we want to_

They closed the number by throwing slushees of red, white and blue confetti on to the audience. Again, the audience was cheering so loudly, they could hardly hear the music beginning for their final song.

New Directions: _Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Six hundred minutes,_

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Moments so dear._

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Six hundred minutes_

_How do you measure, measure a year?_

_In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights_

_In cups of coffee_

_In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife._

_In five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Six hundred minutes_

_How do you measure_

_A year in the life?_

_How about love?_

_How about love?_

_How about love? Measure in love_

_Seasons of love. Seasons of love_

Kurt: _Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Six hundred minutes!_

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Journeys to plan._

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand_

_Six hundred minutes_

_How do you measure the life_

_Of a woman or a man?_

Blaine: _In truths that she learned,_

_Or in times that he cried._

_In bridges he burned,_

_Or the way that she died._

New Directions: _It's time now to sing out,_

_Tho' the story never ends_

_Let's celebrate_

_Remember a year in the life of friends_

_Remember the love!_

_Remember the love!_

_Seasons of love!_

Mercedes: _Oh you got to got to _

_Remember the love! _

_You know that love is a gift from up above _

_Share love, give love spread love _

_Measure measure your life in love._

After a loud round of applause, Rachel threw her arms around Finn and squeezed him as tight as she could. The crowd was on its feet.

The group went backstage. "That was awesome!" Mr. Schue said as he high-fived the kids. "I am so proud of you guys!"

"We killed it!" Mike declared.

"That was awesome!" Sam said.

"We've got a top three finish!" Tina cried.

As New Directions headed down the stairs, Vocal Adrenaline headed up. Jesse glared at Rachel and shoved her down the stairs.

Rachel toppled to the bottom of the stairs and bumped into Mercedes on the way down, who clutched the railing just in time. When Rachel reached the bottom, she tried to stand, but when she tried, it felt like all the weight in the world was on her left ankle.

"What the hell happened?" Blaine asked, seeing Rachel struggling to get up.

"Jesse pushed me," Rachel said.

"JESSE ST. JAMES!" Mr. Schue thundered. Jesse turned.

"I just bumped into her," Jesse said with a smirk before going to join the Vocal Adrenaline kids.

The members of New Directions circled around Rachel.

"You okay, Rachel?" Sam asked.

"I can't get up," Rachel said. She felt tears coming to her eyes, but just couldn't cry. "My left ankle really, really hurts."

"Oh my God." Finn ran over to Rachel and touched her ankle. "How'd that feel?"

"That hurt for you to just touch it," Rachel admitted.

"Take off your tights so we can see how bad it looks," Ms. Holliday said.

Rachel pulled off her tights. Her ankle was completely black and blue.

"Rach, you need to get it looked at," Finn said. "It's swelling a lot. From what you've said and from looking at it, I think it might be broken."

"I'll go to the hospital after results come in," Rachel said. "I want to wait to see how we do."

"Rachel Berry, your ankle looks swollen. Very swollen. I'm going to call an ambulance," Mr. Schue said.

"Really, Mr. Schue?" Rachel said. "I think it can wait until after results come in."

"Rachel, results aren't due for another three hours," Mr. Schue said. "I agree with Finn, I think it might be broken. If you get to the hospital now, you might get back in time for results. Kurt, call an ambulance. Holly, will you go along with her?"

"Of course," Ms. Holliday said.

"Can Finn come too?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, of course he can," Mr. Schue said.

"I'm gonna kick Jesse's ass!" Puck shouted as he began to ran. Sam and Mike grabbed him.

"Wait until after the competition," said Finn. "If we engage in any roughhousing, we'll get disqualified."

"Finn's right," Artie said. "No one should even say anything to Jesse."

Five minutes later, the ambulance had arrived. Finn hoisted Rachel on the stretcher. Rachel, Finn and Ms. Holliday were boarding the ambulance when they heard someone call out.

"Wait! Mr. Schue, is it okay if I go with them, too?"


	11. Chapter 11: Injuries and Honesty

_Thanks everyone for all your reads, reviews, alerts and favorites. I can't believe my second fanfic is almost done! There will be one more chapter of this story after this one and then I'll start my third one, most likely New Directions' senior year to fill the gap between this and "The Future."_

_Hope you enjoy Chapter 11!_

Chapter 11: Injuries and Honesty

"Wait! Mr. Schue, is it okay if I go with them, too?"

The doors were about to close when Quinn called out.

"Yeah, we can't all just sit here when one of our own has been injured by the enemy," Puck said.

"We should all go!" Kurt said.

"You're being ridiculous," Mr. Schue said. "We can't all fit on the ambulance and we can't just walk out like we could at Regionals."

"We can take cabs," Sam protested.

"Or a bus," Mercedes said.

"Everyone came for me when I went into labor," Quinn said. "I can't just stay here. I'm going."

"We could fit one more person on," the EMT said. "How about we let Rachel decide and then we'd better get to the hospital."

"All right, Rachel, who do you want?" Mr. Schue asked.

"I want Quinn," Rachel said.

"Okay, Quinn get on the ambulance," Mr. Schue said. Quinn ran onto the ambulance. "Everyone else, let's get back inside."

"I'm scared," Rachel said as the ambulance took off. "I've never been to an emergency room before. I've never broken a bone before either. It's especially scary without my dads here."

"You'll be fine, Rach," Finn said, taking one of Rachel's hands.

"Yeah." Quinn took Rachel's other hand. "Last year it was me who got sent to the emergency room after our big performance - gee, I wonder who it will be next year?"

"Are you her mother?" the EMT asked Ms. Holliday.

"No, I'm a chaperone on the trip," Ms. Holliday answered.

"Where are her parents?" the EMT asked.

"She's on a school trip to the show choir Nationals. Her parents are back home in Ohio," Ms. Holliday replied.

"Well, could you sign these papers for us, then?" The EMT handed Ms Holliday the papers.

"That reminds me," Rachel whispered for Finn and Quinn to hear. "My mother IS in New York..."

They didn't have a chance to respond.

"What about you two? Are you her boyfriend?" the EMT asked Finn.

Finn looked at Rachel.

"Yes. He is." Rachel squeezed Finn's hand. Then she tilted her head at Quinn. "And she was my roommate on this trip. We became really close this week." She smiled at Quinn, who smiled back.

"So, Rachel, what happened?" the EMT asked.

"Her ex-boyfriend, who was the captain of our archrival glee club, pushed her down the stairs," Finn answered for Rachel. "She had trouble getting up and when she took off her tights it looked really swollen. We think it's broken. When I broke my arm, it looked like that and I couldn't move it."

"Okay, I'm going to give you some ice. Don't move your leg. We'll take some x-rays and figure out if it's broken, but from all the symptoms, it most likely is."

"It hurts," Rachel sighed.

The EMT put an ice pack on Rachel's ankle. "I know it does, honey. You're going to be fine." He went back to talking to Ms. Holliday. Rachel began to cry.

Quinn stroked Rachel's arm. "Don't cry, Rach. You're going to be fine."

"I can not believe that Jesse!" Rachel sobbed. "He's been bugging me all week and he had to ruin our big moment by pushing me down the stairs and breaking my ankle. What is his problem? Can't he just move on?"

"Try not to think about him." Finn kissed Rachel. "I won't let him anywhere near you."

Rachel hugged Finn. "I love you."

Finn hugged Rachel even tighter. "I love you, too."

The ambulance pulled into the hospital and Rachel was wheeled off and into the hospital. Finn, Quinn and Ms. Holliday followed close behind.

"Since you're not related, we can't let you into the examination room with Rachel," the doctor said. "Not without parental consent. You can sit in the waiting area over there."

"What?" Rachel gasped.

"Look, doctor, this poor girl is away from home and in an ER for the first time. Her parents are hundreds of miles away in Ohio and it's clear that she's scared. The least you can do is let her boyfriend and her friend be with her," Ms. Holliday said.

"We'll need parental consent."

"Her fathers are on a cruise this week."

"What about her mother? You know, we're wasting a lot of time."

"Well - "

"I could call her." Rachel took her cell phone from Quinn and dialed Shelby's number. "Shelby, it's Rachel. Please don't get mad, but Jesse pushed me down the stairs and I'm at the hospital - "

"He WHAT?" Shelby shouted.

"Yeah, he did. We think I broke my ankle. Well, I'm at the hospital about to be x-rayed and they won't let Finn and Quinn in the examination room with me without parental consent. Since my dads are on a cruise - "

"Of course they can go in with you!" Shelby said. "And I'm going to have a talk with Jesse."

"Thank you Shelby." Rachel hung up the phone. "My mother said they can come in the room with me."

"Okay, let's go." Rachel was wheeled into the examination room, with Finn and Quinn in tow. The x-rays were taken and it turned out Rachel's ankle was broken, but no further damage was done. The doctors casted it and gave Rachel crutches for the next three weeks. Rachel, Finn, Quinn and Ms. Holliday caught a cab back to the theatre, hoping to make it back in time for the results.

"I get to be the first one to sign your cast," Finn said to Rachel in the cab.

"Of course," Rachel said, taking a sharpie out of her purse.

Finn smiled, took the pen and wrote "I'm forever yours, faithfully! XO Finn."

Rachel saw what Finn wrote, smiled and took Finn's hand.

"I get to go next!" Quinn said. She took the pen from Finn and wrote "Best roomie ever! X Quinn."

Rachel smiled at her new friend.

The cab pulled up in front of the theatre. Finn helped Rachel out of the cab and handed her the crutches. "These are going to be such a pain," Rachel groaned.

"It's only for three weeks, Rachel," Quinn said. "Our regular season is over, so you don't have to worry about not being able to dance in competitions."

"I know, but there's prom - "

"Whether we can dance or not, we are going to have the best night ever at prom," Finn assured Rachel.

They made their way to the rest of New Directions, who were waiting in their row in the audience, leaving seats open for those who'd gone to the hospital.

"Rachel! Are you okay?" Kurt said almost as soon as they were in sight.

"Just a broken ankle," Rachel said as she and Finn sat down next to each other. "How much did we miss?"

"One more song," Mercedes said. Rachel leaned against Finn as a group from Minneapolis called Choral Explosion performed "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence.

Choral Explosion finished their number - which Rachel admitted was amazing - and the MC announced that the judges were going to make their decisions and would be ready in about twenty minutes.

"You guys can go get snacks or whatever during the break," Mr. Schue said. "I just want all of you to know how proud I am of you. No matter what the results are, we won, because we've come so far and become such a great family."

x

Quinn went to the concession stand during the break between the performances and the results. She heard a voice behind her: "You're in New Directions, right?"

Quinn turned around to see two boys dressed in all black. "You guys were totally pandering," one of them sneered. "Evan Lysacek danced to 'I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' on Dancing With The Stars.' And 'Only In America' was a Barack Obama campaign song, which John Kerry's sure to like."

"What do you guys want?" Quinn groaned.

"To tell you we're going to win - again!" the other boy snapped.

"Oh, you're from Vocal Adrenaline?" Quinn turned to see Sam standing there. "You guys should be glad Jesse St. James graduated, or you guys would be knocked out of the competition. You heard he pushed our female lead down the stairs backstage?"

"Oh, Rachel?" the first boy laughed. "She got what she deserved. Jesse said she was a terrible girlfriend."

"Shut up," Quinn snapped.

The two Vocal Adrenaline boys laughed and walked away.

"I can not believe them!" Sam said to Quinn as they headed back to their seats. "Well, now that I've met them, I can't say I'm surprised they toilet papered the choir room and egged Rachel last year."

"Sam, I think we might beat them this year."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think they're a step down from last year."

"If we win, that would be a great ending to a great week!"

"I know, wouldn't it? I had a great week, I don't know about you. I have a great friend I didn't have before now and I think we all know where our hearts belong now."

Sam looked at Quinn. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't love Finn, Sam. I thought he was my best shot at being prom queen. I was so insecure after quitting the cheerios that I felt I needed prom queen to redeem my status. But with help from Rachel, I realized as long as I like who I am and have friends who like who I am, it doesn't matter where I stand on the social ladder. It's no secret that Finn and Rachel's hearts belong to each other. But even when we weren't together, I never got over you. I felt so bad seeing you with Santana."

Sam stepped closer to Quinn and took her hands. "I knew I should be mad at you, but I just couldn't be. I never could get you out of my mind."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, results should be coming in soon, how about we get back to our friends?" Sam offered Quinn his arm and they headed back inside. Quinn took his arm and smiled as they went back. They sat down with Finn and Rachel.

x

During the intermission, Shelby approached Rachel. "Oh no, honey, what did he do to you?" she said, seeing Rachel's cast.

"I just broke my ankle, Shelby," Rachel said. Finn felt uneasy. Shelby had rejected Rachel. Why did she care that she was hurt?

"Well, Rachel, you don't have to worry about him coming near you ever again," Shelby declared.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"Well, Finn, first, I hope you're taking good care of my daughter," Shelby said. "And as for Jesse, I went straight up to him and told him that if he ever came near you or tried to hurt you again, there would be legal trouble waiting at his door."

Rachel gave Finn a look and said, "Shelby, I thought you didn't want to be my mother."

"Rachel, I came here to see you, not Vocal Adrenaline," Shelby said. "I've missed too much with you and being apart from you for too long has killed me. Yes, I have a baby, but she's not you. I want both my girls. And Beth needs her sister. I hope you'll consider giving me another chance."

"I'll think about it," Rachel said.

"I understand if you don't want to," Shelby said. "But like I said, I hope you at least consider it." She left.

"Do you think you will?" Finn asked Rachel when Shelby was gone.

"I don't know. I'd like to, but I've got to be cautious," Rachel said.

"I don't want you to get hurt," Finn said.

Rachel just snuggled against Finn. He'd missed that feeling.

Then Sam and Quinn walked in, arm in arm, and sat down with them. Finn smiled. Even if they didn't win the National title, he'd won Rachel back.

x

"All captains of teams report to the stage for the awards," the MC said.

Rachel looked at Finn. "You can go up by yourself, or pick someone else to go up with. I don't think I can get up the stairs with my crutches."

"You're coming up with me, and that's that!" Finn scooped Rachel up in his arms and began walking toward the stage. "Just lean against me and I'll put my arm around you to keep you standing." They smiled at each other as they took their spots on stage. Rachel put her arm around Finn's waist and he put his around her shoulders, keeping her standing.

The MC took the center of the stage. "Our top four teams are: Vocal Adrenaline from Akron, Ohio; Choral Explosion from Minneapolis, Minnesota; New Directions from Lima, Ohio and the Fireworks from Falls Church, Virginia."

Finn and Rachel hugged. They'd placed!

The other members of New Directions jumped out of their seats and began cheering.

"In fourth place - from Carmel High School in Akron, Ohio - Vocal Adrenaline!"

Rachel and Finn exchanged a look of shock. Even if they hadn't won, Vocal Adrenaline hadn't either.

The crowd let out a collective gasp. The Vocal Adrenaline captains grabbed the pewter medals and the fourth place plaque out of the MC's hands and stormed off the stage.

"What sore losers," Rachel whispered to Finn. Finn laughed and nodded.

"In third place - from George Marshall High School in Falls Church, Virginia, the Fireworks!"

Finn squeezed Rachel tighter as the Fireworks captains accepted the bronze medals and the third place trophy. Could it be - could New Directions win? They were guaranteed at least second place...

"And the winners of the 2011 US National High School Show Choir Championships - "

Rachel grabbed Finn's hand.


	12. Chapter 12: Champions

_Author Notes: Wow, I can't believe I'm done with another FanFic! Thanks so much for all your nice reviews, alerts and favorites. They mean so much to me. I love writing FanFics and I'm glad my fellow Gleeks and Finchel shippers enjoy reading them. My next FanFic should be up within a few days, so be sure to add me to your author alerts._

_For now, enjoy the last chapter!_

Chapter 12: Champions

"And the winners of the 2011 US National High School Show Choir Championships - "

Rachel grabbed Finn's hand.

"From Minneapolis, Minnesota - Choral Explosion!"

They hadn't won, but Rachel and Finn high-fived the Choral Explosion captains right before they were presented with the first place trophy and the gold medals.

"Congratulations!" Rachel said to the captains. "You were really good."  
"Yeah, you deserve it," Finn said.

The captains smiled at Finn and Rachel. "Thanks," one of them said. "Your team was really good, too."

"Which means our runner-ups for 2011, from McKinley High School in Lima, OH - the New Directions!"

Finn and Rachel hugged and kissed on stage before they were handed the silver medals for all members of the team and the second place trophy. They looked down in the audience where their teammates were. Kurt and Blaine were making out. Mercedes and Tina were jumping up and down screaming. Mike was doing an epic dance with Artie clapping along to the beat of his music. Puck, Lauren, Brittany and Santana were in a big group hug. Sam was spinning Quinn around.

Finn turned to Rachel, who was carrying the medals and the trophy as he carried her down the stairs. "I can't believe it!" he said, feeling happier than he had after winning any football game.

"Me neither," Rachel said. "I'm so happy right now. So happy."

Their teammates ran up to them and threw their arms around them in a big group hug. "We love our captains!" Brittany shouted.

"And we love our teammates!" Rachel shouted back. She began dealing out the medals and then draped Finn's around his neck. Then Finn draped Rachel's around her neck.

"You would have thought you guys had won, as happy as you are," Mr. Schue said.

"Second place is pretty awesome," Puck said.

"It is," Mr. Schue said. "I am SO proud of all of you. Who would have thought that small group of five that sounded terrible would grow to fourteen that were runner-ups in the nation? Everyone, get out your cameras. You need this moment captured."

Everyone got out their cameras and sat together, with their medals draped around their necks. Rachel sat on Finn's knee. They had the two biggest smiles.

"I want a picture of our captains with the trophy, too," Mr. Schue said after he took pictures of everyone. Finn held the trophy and put his arm around Rachel's shoulders. Rachel hugged Finn. Mr. Schue handed them their cameras. Rachel looked. "Finn, that's my new Facebook profile picture," she said proudly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ms. Holliday said. "Let's go back to the hotel and party!"

Still in their costumes and with the medals draped around their necks, the group headed back to the hotel, as if they were walking on air. No one could believe they'd just placed second at the National Championships and everyone was arguing about who was happiest.

In the hotel lobby, the Vocal Adrenaline students sat, pouting about the results. "You know, you probably only beat us because Rachel broke her ankle and they felt bad for you," sneered one of the members.

"Are you serious? The judges didn't even know," Sam said.

"This is our worst place in four years," moaned another member.

"Ignore them," Mr. Schue told the teenagers. "I don't care about hotel rules. Pick someone's room and go celebrate. Order room service too if you like."

"If it's okay with Quinn, I'd like it to be in our room," Rachel said.

"Let's do that!" Quinn said.

Everyone boarded the elevators they were supposed to be on, but all elevators were headed to the twelfth floor.

Once they were on the twelfth floor, everyone headed for Quinn and Rachel's room for their celebration.

"I can't believe we're the second best show choir in the country!" Mike said.

"I know!" Artie agreed.

"It feels unreal," Mercedes said.

The group looked over the room service menu and called it down. Right after they called down, there was a knock on the door.

"Everyone hide behind the beds!" Rachel said. "Remember, we're not all supposed to be here."

"Okay, but I'm going to the door with you," Quinn said. "Just in case it's he-who-must-not-be-named."

Rachel and Quinn headed for the door. A basket with seven corsages and seven bouttenires was there, along with a cake.

"Awww!" Rachel said. "Could you carry it in? I can't very well with my crutches."

"Of course." Quinn picked up the basket and the box with the cake and put them on the table. Everyone else got up and came over to see what it was.

"It's flowers for us," Rachel said, handing the corsages to the girls and the bouttenires to the boys. "Let's see who they're from." She opened the card, which had her name on it. "Dear Rachel - Congratulations to you and your team on a great debut at Nationals. Next year I'm sure you'll win. Please share the flowers and cake with your friends. Hope we can begin a relationship together. Love, Mom." She looked up and turned to her teammates. "These are from my mom."

"Maybe she is serious about becoming your mom, Rach," Finn said.

"Maybe," Rachel said before they heard another knock at the door. "That must be the food."

It was the food. The group had ordered pizza, fries, salad and ice cream. They spent the night talking, eating and listening the music until about 11:30, when they heard another knock at the door. "May we come in?" they heard Mr. Schue call.

Quinn let Mr. Schue and Ms. Holliday in. "Guys, I hate to break up your party, but it is past your curfew and you guys have some packing to do."

"Awwwww!" the group whined.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Mr. Schue said. "Really, I've never seen all of you so happy."

"Well, if we must break up the party, we can't forget where we began," Rachel said. "Mr. Schue, Ms. Holliday, take a seat, and listen to the runner-ups in the country perform our theme song."

She flipped on the radio and a familiar tune began.

_Finn : Just a small town girl _

_Livin' in a lonely world _

_She took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_Rachel: Just a city boy _

_Born and raised in south Detroit _

_He took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_Finn: A singer in a smokey room_

_Rachel: The smell of wine and cheep perfume _

_Finn and Rachel: For a smile they can share the night_

_It goes on and on and on and on _

_New Directions: Strangers waiting _

_Up and down the boulevard _

_Their shadows searching in the night _

_Streetlight people _

_Living just to find emotion _

_Hiding somewhere in the night _

_Finn: Workin' hard to get my fill _

_Rachel: Everybody wants a thrill _

_Finn and Rachel: Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time _

_Rachel: Some will win _

_Finn and Rachel: Some will lose_

_Some were born to sing the blues _

_New Directions: And now the movie never ends _

_It goes on and on and on and on _

_Strangers waiting Up and down the boulevard _

_Their shadows searching in the night _

_Streetlight people_

_Living just to find emotion _

_Hiding somewhere in the night _

_Finn and Rachel: Don't stop believin' _

_Hold on to that feelin' _

_Street lights people _

_New Directions: Don't stop beleivin'_

_Hold on to that feelin' _

_Street lights people_

_Don't stop!_

Minutes later, everyone was in their respective rooms, packing. "I can't believe we're going home tomorrow," Rachel said to Quinn.

"Me neither," Quinn said. "I don't want to leave!"

"Neither do I," Rachel said. "I can say without a doubt that this has been the best week of my life. I don't care about my broken ankle or all the incidents with Jesse or the drama earlier in the week. That's not what I'll remember. What I'll remember is all my nights with Finn, the girl time we had in our room, our shopping trips with Kurt and the girls and of course our second place performance! I can't wait for next year!"

"Neither can I. It's so odd, thinking next year we'll be seniors."

"It is odd. I'd rather not think about how next year is going to be the end."

"Me neither. But while we're on the subject of next year, if it's okay with you, I'd really like to be roommates again."

"That sounds good to me!"

x

Finn was packing in his room when the phone in the room rang. "Finn, it's for you," Puck said.

Finn took the phone. "Hello?"

"I guess you had too much fun this week to call your own mother, huh?"

Finn blushed. "Hi Mom. It was quite a week."

"What happened?"

"Well, let's see, Rachel and I went out every night and we're back together and happier than ever. And we got second place!"

"Finn, that's wonderful! Both those things."

"I know. It doesn't matter that there was some drama at the beginning of the week. We all had a great time. I have to pack, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"See you tomorrow. Congratulate your friends."

Finn hung up the phone and went back to packing.

"So, you're back with Rachel now. I bet you're so, so happy, lover boy!" Puck teased.

"Hey, I'm back with Quinn and I'm 'so, so happy!'" Sam said.

"You two!" Puck said. "Well, I'm 'so, so happy' with Lauren!"

The boys laughed and continued packing their luggage.

x

The next morning, the members of New Directions were at the airport, waiting for their plane to arrive. Their tickets for the way home were all in the same general area, so people could sit with whoever they pleased.

"Sit with me?" Rachel asked Finn as they began boarding the plane.

"I'd love to," Finn replied. "Just to warn you though, I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so excited, so would it be okay if I use you as a pillow?"

Rachel giggled. "You have no idea how happy I'd be to be your pillow."

Finn and Rachel took their seats on the plane next to each other. Finn put down the partition between their seats and lay across Rachel's lap to sleep. Rachel giggled at the sight of her boyfriend sleeping on her lap. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I love you," she said, running her hands through his hair.

Rachel looked around the plane. Directly across from her and Finn, Sam had his arm around Quinn, who was resting on his shoulder. She heard Mercedes, Artie, Mike and Tina laughing behind her. Behind Sam and Quinn, Puck and Lauren were sharing iPod earphones. Kurt and Blaine were in front of Sam and Quinn and were making out, which Rachel knew she and Finn would probably be doing if he wasn't sleeping. Brittany and Santana sat behind Puck and Lauren. Rachel could hear them laughing.

When they got back to Ohio, things would be back to normal. But one thing was different. All fourteen members of New Directions had a strengthened sense of confidence and a strengthened sense of belonging. That wouldn't be going away and they'd bring it when they returned in the fall to begin another season.


End file.
